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P4–221: Subjective caregivers' burden of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease patients
Author(s) -
Boziki Marina,
Tsolaki Magdalini,
Tsantali Eleni,
Tikistirma Maria,
Kazis Aristides
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2006.05.1961
Subject(s) - dementia , caregiver burden , caregiver stress , family caregivers , cognition , feeling , distress , memory clinic , psychology , clinical psychology , disease , outpatient clinic , psychiatry , cognitive impairment , gerontology , medicine , social psychology , pathology
Background: Increased public attention to the problems of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is not only due to its devastating effect in patients’ personality and cognition but also to its impact on their families. Symptoms of psychological distress among caregivers of AD patients have been early described. Objective(s): To describe the variety of caregivers’ emotions for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and AD patients and their emotions’ changes while AD patients’ cognitive decline continues. Methods: Participants were recruited from Outpatient Memory and Dementia Clinic. The sample comprised 105 caregivers, 40 of them taking care of AD patients and 65 MCI patients. Diagnosis of AD dementia was based on NINCDSADRDA criteria and MCI diagnosis required evidence of cognitive deficit without evidence of functional impairment. Although MCI subjects’ relatives cannot be regarded officially as caregivers they are referred to as “caregivers” in favor of simplicity. Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) was used to describe patients’ behavioral disorders. Burden Interview (BI) was included to assess caregivers’ stress associated with caregiving (Zarit et al;1980). Statistical analysis used Factor Analysis for BI, Pearson’s correlation and Regression Analysis. Results: Factor Analysis indicated 6 factors, each of them corresponding to a separate emotional source of burden: caregiver’s personal needs, changes in caregiver’s social relations, patient’s disabilities, caregiver’s insecurity about future difficulties, caregiver’s difficulty to perform his role and insecurity about patient’s future health. Caregiver’s burden was better predicted by lack of privacy (R .905), caregiver’s feeling that he will be unable to take care of the patient (R .882), caregiver’s effort to respond to family and work responsibilities additionally to patient’s care (R .839), and caregiver’s feeling of strain when he is close to the patient (R .77). Conclusions: This study underlies the importance of considering mental health needs of caregivers. The findings demonstrate that caregiving is associated not only with burden but also with erosion of mental health, a fact of which doctors should be aware. Given the general burden, caregivers are highly vulnerable to depression and other emotional disorders. Approaches either as family counseling or as support groups have to be widely developed in order to relieve the stress and burden experienced by caregivers of demented patients.