The experience of caregiving: the influence of coping strategies on behavioral and psychological symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Aging Ment Health
; 17(5): 615-22, 2013.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-23432627
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
To determine whether caregiver coping strategies are independently associated with behavioral and psychological symptoms (BPS) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) after accounting for patient characteristics.METHODS:
Cross-sectional data analysis of 80 patients with AD and their primary caregivers. The presence of BPS was recorded using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). The relationship between caregiver characteristics and BPS was assessed through one-way analysis of variance, two-tailed student t-tests or correlation coefficients. Multivariate linear regression was used to determine the combined effect of all caregiver factors that were significant on bivariate analysis regarding coping and BPS controlling for patient characteristics.RESULTS:
Caregivers were on average 62 years old, 77% female, and most were the children or the spouse of the patient. Over 50% had significant depression or anxiety. Patients were on average 77 years old and 62% were female, and most had moderate to severe dementia. After adjusting for patient characteristics, patients cared for by more depressed, more burdened, or those using more disengagement coping strategies showed higher NPI mean composite scores.CONCLUSION:
Coping strategies are associated with BPS regardeless of patient characteristics. Interventions to reduce BPS should focus on which psychological coping strategies caregivers use. Understanding how coping strategies influence BPS may help tailor specific interventions for caregivers.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Adaptation, Psychological
/
Caregivers
/
Alzheimer Disease
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Aging Ment Health
Journal subject:
GERIATRIA
/
PSICOLOGIA
Year:
2013
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
España