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Is sense of coherence helpful in coping with caregiver burden for dementia?
Author(s) -
Matsushita Masateru,
Ishikawa Tomohisa,
Koyama Asuka,
Hasegawa Noriko,
Ichimi Naoko,
Yano Hiroyuki,
Hashimoto Mamoru,
Fujii Naoki,
Ikeda Manabu
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
psychogeriatrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.647
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1479-8301
pISSN - 1346-3500
DOI - 10.1111/psyg.12050
Subject(s) - dementia , coping (psychology) , coherence (philosophical gambling strategy) , psychology , psychiatry , medicine , clinical psychology , disease , physics , quantum mechanics
Background Sense of coherence ( SOC ) is associated with a reduced risk of various health problems and is thought to be a major factor related to the ability to cope with stress. In the present study, we examined the association between caregiver burden and SOC among caregivers to persons with dementia. Methods Participants included 274 caregivers or family members of community‐dwelling elderly dementia patients. To assess the cognitive function of patients, neuropsychological tests (e.g. M ini‐ M ental S tate E xamination, C linical D ementia R ating) were conducted by a clinical psychologist who was well trained in interviewing participants; the tests used a semi‐structured interview protocol. Senior neurologists and psychiatrists also independently evaluated the dementia status of patients. To assess the SOC and caregiver burden, a social welfare counsellor asked questions from a 13‐item version of the SOC scale and the short, eight‐item J apanese version of the Z arit C aregiver B urden I nterview ( ZBI ). Results Among 78 caregivers of elderly subjects with cognitive impairment due to dementia, the ZBI score was significantly associated with SOC ( r = −0.38, P = 0.001). Multiple regression analyses revealed that SOC scores ( β = −0.42, P < 0.001) and M ini‐ M ental S tate E xamination scores ( β = −0.28, P = 0.009) were significantly associated with ZBI scores ( F (2, 76) = 10.51, P < 0.001). SOC was closely associated with personal strain in the ZBI ( β = −0.41, P < 0.001; F (3, 75) = 8.53, P < 0.001). Conclusion Caregivers with a strong SOC may be less prone to experiencing personal strain from their burden. These results suggest that reinforcement of SOC would contribute to reducing the personal strain.