The Role of Caregivers' Sleep Problems in the Association between Behavioral Symptoms of Dementia and Caregiving Depression and Anxiety.

OBJECTIVES: Behavioral problems in people with dementia are a source of depression and anxiety for caregivers, who experience high levels of sleep problems. The present study aims to explore the role of sleep problems on the relationship between behavioral problems associated with dementias - considering its different dimensions - and family caregivers' depressive and anxious symptoms. METHOD: 264 family caregivers participated in the study. Through face-to-face interviews, sociodemographic and health variables, caregivers' depressive and anxious symptoms were measured, as well as their sleep problems. Data related to people with dementia symptoms and their level of independence in daily life activities were also collected. Data analysis consisted of simple mediational models using the PROCESS method for SPSS. RESULTS: the test for the indirect effect of disruptive behaviors on depression through sleep problems was statistically significant, as it was for disruptive behaviors on anxiety through sleep problems. The effect of sleep problems in the association between depressive and memory problems in the person with dementia, and caregivers' depression and anxiety were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep problems are significantly and positively associated with care-recipients' disruptive behaviors, but not with depressive and memory problems. The indirect effect of disruptive behaviors on caregivers' mood through sleep problems suggests that disruptive behaviors seem to play an important role for understanding caregivers' sleep problems.

Marital Satisfaction and Mental Health in Adults Over 40 Years Old. Associations with Self-Perceptions of Aging and Stress Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Being married has been associated with a better attitude to aging and a buffer against stressful situations, factors that influence mental health. The study analyzes the role of self-perceptions of aging and stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the association between marital satisfaction and participants' mental health. 246 people older than 40 years in a marital/partner relationship were assessed. A path analysis was tested, where self-perceptions of aging and stress from the COVID-19 situation were proposed as mechanisms of action in the association between marital satisfaction and anxious and depressive symptoms. Marital satisfaction, self-perceptions of aging, and stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic significantly contributed to the model and explained 31% of the variance in participants´ anxious symptomatology, and 42% of the variance in depressive symptomatology. The indirect path of self-perceptions of aging and stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in the link between marital satisfaction and anxious and depressive symptoms was statistically significant for both outcome variables. The findings of this study suggest that lower perceived marital satisfaction is associated with higher levels of negative self-perceptions of aging and with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms. Public significance statements: This study suggests that higher marital satisfaction may be a buffer for negative self-perception of aging, and both factors are related with experiencing less stress from COVID-19. These links are associated with less anxious and depressive symptoms.