Abstracts
Objective
To investigate quality of life (QoL) of caregivers of mild and moderate dementia and the aspects related to QoL.
Method
Cross-sectional assessment of dyads of people with dementia (PwD) and family caregivers (n=88).
Results
Burden (p<0.05) and depressive symptoms (p<0.001) were related to caregivers’ QoL in both stages of dementia. In mild dementia, caregivers’ depressive symptoms (p<0.001) and PwD neuropsychiatric symptoms (p<0.001) were related to burden. PwD aberrant motor activity (p<0.001) and anxiety (p<0.001), and caregiver-reported QoL domains of friends (p<0.001) and mood (p<0.05) were related to depressive symptoms. In moderate dementia, self-reported QoL (p<0.01) and anxiety (p<0.01), and PwD anxiety (p<0.01) were related to burden. Caregivers’ anxiety (p<0.001) and self-reported QoL (p<0.001) were related to depressive symptoms.
Conclusion
Burden and depressive symptoms were related to QoL of caregivers of mild and moderate dementia. However, they are driven by different factors according to dementia severity.
caregivers; quality of life; depression; dementia
Objetivo
Investigar qualidade de vida (QdV) de cuidadores na demência leve e moderada e aspectos relacionados.
Método
Avaliação transversal de pessoas com demência e cuidadores familiares (n=88).
Resultados
Sobrecarga (p<0,05) e sintomas depressivos (p<0,001) estavam relacionados à QdV dos cuidadores nos dois estágios da demência. Na demência leve, sintomas depressivos dos cuidadores (p<0,001) e sintomas neuropsiquiátricos dos pacientes (p<0,001) estavam relacionados à sobrecarga. Atividade motora aberrante (p<0,001) e ansiedade do paciente, bem como domínios amigos (p<0,001) e humor (p<0,05) da QdV do cuidador estavam relacionados aos sintomas depressivos. Na demência moderada, QdV (p<0,01) e ansiedade (p<0,01) do cuidador, e ansiedade do paciente (p<0,01) estavam relacionadas à sobrecarga. Ansiedade (p<0,001) e QdV dos cuidadores (p<0,001) estavam relacionadas aos sintomas depressivos.
Conclusão
Sobrecarga e sintomas depressivos estavam relacionados à QdV de cuidadores de pessoas com demência leve e moderada. Entretanto, estes aspectos estão relacionados a diferentes fatores por severidade da demência.
cuidadores; qualidade de vida; depressão; demência
Quality of life (QoL) has objective and subjective indicators11 Keating N, Gaudet N. Quality of life of persons with dementia. J
Nutr Health Aging. 2012;16(5):454-6.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12603-011-0346-4
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-011-0346-...
. Among the objective indicators, we may include
standard of living, levels of chronic illness, interpersonal relationships with family
and friends, and community resources11 Keating N, Gaudet N. Quality of life of persons with dementia. J
Nutr Health Aging. 2012;16(5):454-6.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12603-011-0346-4
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-011-0346-...
.
Subjective indicators are based on personal evaluations of life satisfaction, happiness,
adequacy of food, financial resources, housing, family relationships, and feeling valued
or fully human11 Keating N, Gaudet N. Quality of life of persons with dementia. J
Nutr Health Aging. 2012;16(5):454-6.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12603-011-0346-4
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-011-0346-...
.
In dementia, QoL involves cognitive functioning, activities of daily living, social
interaction, and psychological well-being22 Whitehouse PJ, Orgogozo JM, Becker RE, Gauthier S, Pontecorvo M,
ERzigkeit H et al. Quality-of-life assessment in dementia drug development.
Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 1997;11 Suppl 3:56-60.. Caregivers face many challenges in caring for people with
dementia (PwD), and those may change as the disease progresses33 Kurz X, Scuvee-Moreau J, Vernooij-Dassen M, Dresse A. Cognitive
impairment, dementia and quality of life in patients and caregivers. Acta Neurol
Belg. 2003;103(1):24-34.. Hoe et al.44 Hoe J, Katona C, Roch B, Livingston G. Use of the QOL-AD for
measuring quality of life in people with severe dementia—the LASER-AD
study. Age Ageing. 2005;34(2):130-5.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afi030
https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afi030...
suggested that associations between QoL and cognition have been
previously observed. Inouye et al.55 Inouye K, Pedrazzani ES, Pavarini SCI, Toyoda CY. Perceived quality
of life of elderly patients with dementia and family caregivers: evaluation and
correlation. Rev Latino-Am Enfermagem. 2009;17(2):187-93.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s0104-11692009000200008
https://doi.org/10.1590/s0104-1169200900...
focused on mild and moderate PwD caregivers. In comparison to the control group, the
whole caregiver group negatively evaluated the physical health, energy, mood, memory,
self as a whole, and ability to do things for fun dimensions of QoL55 Inouye K, Pedrazzani ES, Pavarini SCI, Toyoda CY. Perceived quality
of life of elderly patients with dementia and family caregivers: evaluation and
correlation. Rev Latino-Am Enfermagem. 2009;17(2):187-93.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s0104-11692009000200008
https://doi.org/10.1590/s0104-1169200900...
. Kurz et al.33 Kurz X, Scuvee-Moreau J, Vernooij-Dassen M, Dresse A. Cognitive
impairment, dementia and quality of life in patients and caregivers. Acta Neurol
Belg. 2003;103(1):24-34. found that severe dementia caregivers scored worse than
caregivers of people with no cognitive impairment or of people with cognitive impairment
and without dementia.
In this context, this study aims to investigate the factors related to QoL among caregivers of mild and moderate dementia and to further investigate the aspects which might be associated to them. We hypothesized that factors which are possibly related to caregivers’ QoL, like caregiver burden and PwD neuropsychiatric symptoms, might differ according to the severity of disease.
METHOD
Study Design
This study had a cross-sectional design.
Participants
Our sample had 88 primary caregivers (21 males) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) outpatients (22 males). Participants attended the outpatient clinic for routine follow-up appointments, and they were consecutively selected, according to the physicians’ referrals, from January 2012 to January 2013.
The PwD were diagnosed with possible or probable AD according to Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition66 American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual
of mental disorders: text revision: DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Washington, DC: American
Psychiatric Press; 2000. and National Institute of Neurological and
Communicative Diseases and Stroke/Alzheimer’s Disease and Related
Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA) criteria77 McKhann G, Drachman D, Folstein M, Katzman R, Price D, Stadlan EM.
Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease: report of the NINCDS-ADRDA
Work Group under the auspices of department of health and human services task
force on Alzheimer’s disease. Neurology. 1984;34:939-44.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/wnl.34.7.939
https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.34.7.939...
. People with mild to moderate AD according to the
Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR)88 Maia AL, Godinho C, Ferreira ED, Almeida V, Schuh A, Kaye J et al.
Application of the Brazilian version of the CDR scale in samples of dementia
patients. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2006;64(2B):485-9.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s0004-282x2006000300025
https://doi.org/10.1590/s0004-282x200600...
and scores ranging from 13 to 26 in the Mini-Mental State Examination
(MMSE)99 Bertolucci PHF, Brucki SMD, Campacci SR, Juliano Y. The mini-mental
state examination in a general population: impact of educational status. Arq
Neuropsiquiatr. 1994;52(1):1-7. were included in
the study. In order to ensure the findings were applicable to caring for people
with mild or moderate dementia rather than with other clinical problems. PwD
with uncontrolled clinical problems, such as hypertension and diabetes, and
psychiatric disorders of aphasia, head trauma, alcohol abuse and epilepsy, as
defined by the DSM IV-TR criteria were excluded from the study. The primary
caregiver was defined as the main person responsible for the PwD care, and we
included only informal caregivers (i.e., family members, friends, neighbors or
volunteers). We excluded caregivers with a reported history of psychiatric or
cognitive disorders. The caregiver-PwD dyad had a face-to-face meeting at least
once a week, and the caregivers were able to provide detailed information about
their care recipients. All of the caregivers had been previously informed of the
diagnosis by the psychiatrist. The PwD completed assessments about QoL,
cognition, and on their awareness of disease. The caregivers provided
information about the PwD (including demographics, the ability to perform
activities of daily living – ADL –, and dementia severity) and had
QoL, depression, and burden of care assessed.
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Institute of Psychiatry of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IPUB/UFRJ), and all of the PWD and caregivers received a full description of the study and signed informed consent forms prior to the first interview.
Measurements
Caregivers’ measurements
Quality of life
We applied the Brazilian validated version of the caregiver’s QoL
(CQoL)1010 Novelli MMPC, Nitrini R, Caramelli P. Validation of the Brazilian
version of the Quality of Life Scale for patients with Alzheimer disease and
their Caregivers. Aging Ment Health. 2010;14(5):624-31.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13607861003588840
https://doi.org/10.1080/1360786100358884...
, which
comprises 13 items (“physical health”,
“energy”, “mood”, “living
situation”, “memory”, “family”,
“marriage”, “friends”, “you as a
whole”, “ability to do chores”, “ability to
do things for fun”, “money” and “life as a
whole”).
Burden
We applied the Brazilian validated version of the Zarit Burden Interview
(ZBI)1111 Scazufca, M. Brazilian version of the Burden Interview scale for the
assessment of burden of care in carers of people with mental illnesses. Rev Bras
Psiquiatr. 2002;24(1):12-17.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1516-44462002000100006
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-4446200200...
, which
comprises 22 items that measure the impact of the PwD illness on the
caregiver’s life.
Mood
We applied the Brazilian validated version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)1212 Gorestein C, Andrade L. Validation of a Portuguese version of the Beck Depression Inventory and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in Brazilian subjects. Braz J Med Biol Res. 1996;29(4):453-7., a 21-item self-report scale that includes a wide range of depressive symptoms, such as feelings of sadness, concerns about the future, suicidal ideation, tearfulness, sleep, fatigue, loss of interest, worries about health, sexual interest, appetite, weight loss and general enjoyment.
Anxiety
We applied the Brazilian validated version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)1313 Cunha JA. Manual das versões em português das escalas Beck. São Paulo: Casa do Psicólogo; 2001., a 21-item self-administered instrument that comprises the most frequent anxiety symptoms observed in clinical practice.
PwD measurements
Severity of dementia
We applied the full protocol of the Brazilian validated version of the
CDR88 Maia AL, Godinho C, Ferreira ED, Almeida V, Schuh A, Kaye J et al.
Application of the Brazilian version of the CDR scale in samples of dementia
patients. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2006;64(2B):485-9.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s0004-282x2006000300025
https://doi.org/10.1590/s0004-282x200600...
, in which the
possible stages of severity include 0 (no dementia), 0.5 (questionable
dementia), 1 (mild dementia), 2 (moderate dementia) and 3 (severe
dementia).
Quality of life
We applied the Brazilian validated version of the Quality of Life in
Alzheimer’s disease scale (QoL-AD)1010 Novelli MMPC, Nitrini R, Caramelli P. Validation of the Brazilian
version of the Quality of Life Scale for patients with Alzheimer disease and
their Caregivers. Aging Ment Health. 2010;14(5):624-31.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13607861003588840
https://doi.org/10.1080/1360786100358884...
. This is the same scale used to assess the
caregivers’ QoL, but we used both the self-report of the PwD
(PQoL) and the caregiver’s perspective about the patient
(C-PQoL)1010 Novelli MMPC, Nitrini R, Caramelli P. Validation of the Brazilian
version of the Quality of Life Scale for patients with Alzheimer disease and
their Caregivers. Aging Ment Health. 2010;14(5):624-31.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13607861003588840
https://doi.org/10.1080/1360786100358884...
. We
analyzed the total scores separately.
Cognition
We applied the Brazilian validated version of the MMSE99 Bertolucci PHF, Brucki SMD, Campacci SR, Juliano Y. The mini-mental state examination in a general population: impact of educational status. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 1994;52(1):1-7., an instrument that comprises tests of orientation, registration, short-term memory, language use, comprehension and basic motor skills.
Functionality
In order to measure the PwD functional activities, we applied the Pfeffer Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ)1414 Pfeffer RI, Kurosaki TT, Harrah CH, Chance JM, Filis S. Measurement of functional activities in older adults in the community. J Gerontol. 1982;37(3):323-9..
Mood
We applied the Brazilian validated version of the Cornell Scale for
Depression in Dementia (CSDD)1515 Carthery-Goulart MT, Areza-Fegyveres R, Schultz RR, Okamoto I,
Caramelli P, Bertolucci PH et al. Brazilian version of the Cornell depression
scale in dementia. Arq Neuropsiquiatr, 2007;65(#B):912-5.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0004-282X2007000500037
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0004-282X200700...
to assess mood symptoms, physical signs,
circadian functions and behavioral symptoms related to depression among
the PwD.
Neuropsychiatric symptoms
The 12-item Brazilian validated version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory
(NPI-12)1616 Camozzato, AL, Kochhann R, Simeoni C, Konrath CA, Franz AP, Chaves
ML. Reliability of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Neuropsychiatric
Inventory (NPI) for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their
caregivers. Int Psychogeriatr. 2008;20(2):383-93.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1041610207006254
https://doi.org/10.1017/s104161020700625...
was
applied in order to assess the presence of delusions, hallucinations,
dysphoria, anxiety, agitation/aggression, euphoria, disinhibition,
irritability/lability, apathy, aberrant motor activity, nighttime
behavior disturbances, and appetite and eating abnormalities.
Awareness of the disease
We applied the Assessment Scale of Psychosocial Impact of the Diagnosis
of Dementia (ASPIDD)1717 Dourado MCN, Marinho V, Soares C, Engelhardt E, Laks J. Awareness of
disease in Alzheimer’s dementia: description of a mild to moderate sample
of patient and caregiver dyads in Brazil. Int Psychogeriatr. 2007;19(4):733-44.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1041610207005492
https://doi.org/10.1017/s104161020700549...
, a 35-question scale scored based on the
discrepancies between the reports of the PwD and the caregivers about
awareness of cognitive deficits, social relationships, family
relationships, instrumental and basic activities of daily living and
affective relationships.
Statistical analysis
All statistical analyses were performed with SPSS software for Windows version 17.0. The Shapiro-Wilk and Levine tests were used to verify the normal distribution and the variability between the variances, respectively. The parametric variables were described by their mean and standard deviations (SD), and the non-parametric variables were described by their median and interquartile ranges. First, the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the caregiver-PwD dyads were analyzed with descriptive statistics. To assess the distinction between mild and moderate dementia, Chi-square tests and ANOVA tests were used.
The relationships between the domains of CQoL (“physical health”, “energy”, “mood”, “living situation”, “memory”, “family”, “marriage”, “friends”, “you as a whole”, “ability to do chores”, “ability to do things for fun”, “money” and “life as a whole”) and CDR were investigated using the Chi-square test. Matrices of correlations (Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlations) were created to investigate the associations between CQoL and age, gender, educational level, duration of the disease, awareness of disease, cognitive function, functional activities, presence of depressive symptoms, and caregiver burden. Based on the significant correlations identified between the CQoL and the other variables, a multivariate linear regression was performed to determine the factors related to the caregivers’ QoL.
Next, we built correlation matrices of the ZBI and BDI scores for caregiver-PwD dyads with mild and moderate dementia to identify the associations between these variables and the other clinical variables. The analyses were run separately for the mild and moderate dementia groups. Finally, Stepwise regression models were built to evaluate the factors related to the ZBI and BDI scores.
All significance tests were performed at a two-tailed α level of 0.05.
RESULTS
Sociodemographic characteristics
Mild dementia group
The majority of caregivers in this group were women (81.4%, N=35), wives (34.9%; N=15) and daughters (30.2%, N=13) of PwD. Wives showed a mean age of 67 years old (SD=9.27) and daughters showed a mean age of 49.6 years old (SD=9.66).
Moderate dementia group
The majority of caregivers in this group were women (71.1%, N=32), mostly daughters (37.8%, N=17) of PwD. The daughters presented a mean age of 53.3 years old (SD=8.77).
The sociodemographic characteristics of caregivers and PwD, comparing the characteristics of mild and moderate dementia are shown in Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of caregiver-PwD dyads in the mild and moderate groups
Moderate PwD were more severely cognitive impaired according to the MMSE (p<0.001). They also scored higher on the NPI (p<0.05) and on the FAQ (p<0.001). They had a lower QoL as measured by the C-PQoL (p<0.05). Moreover, we found a significant difference in the awareness of the disease (p<0.05). In the moderate dementia group, 71.1% (N= 32) showed impaired awareness of the disease, whereas in the mild dementia group, 46.5% (N=20) showed unawareness. The differences between the clinical characteristics of the caregiver-PwD dyads according to dementia severity are summarized in Table 2.
Factors related to QoL of caregivers of mild and moderate PwD
Univariate analysis
We did not observe a significant difference between mild and moderate dementia caregivers’ QoL (f=0.539; p=0.465). Upon analyzing the domains of QoL, there were also no significant differences between mild and moderate dementia caregivers. Mild and moderate dementia caregivers’ QoL was correlated with both the age of onset of the PwD (r=-0.227; p<0.05) and the duration of the disease (r=0.259; p<0.05). Caregivers’ QoL decreases as age of onset and dementia progress.
We found a correlation with depressive symptoms (r=-0.638; p<0.001), anxiety (r=-0.359; p<0.001) and burden (r=-0.547; p<0.001). Caregivers’ QoL is inversely related to their own depressive symptoms, anxiety, and burden.
In addition, both mild and moderate dementia caregivers’ QoL is related to the caregivers’ perspective of the QoL of the PwD (r=0.443; p<0.001) and PwD’s self-reported QoL (r=0.245; p<0.05). Moreover, we analyzed the relation between caregivers’ QoL and each domain of NPI, and found that a decrease in mild and moderate dementia caregivers’ QoL is related to an increase in the NPI domain of anxiety (r=-0.012; p<0.05). Caregivers’ QoL is inversely related to the PwD’s anxiety symptoms.
The significant and non-significant correlations are shown in Table 3.
Multivariate analyses
The regression indicated that the caregiver’s burden (p<0.05) and depressive symptoms (p<0.001) were significantly related to both mild and moderate dementia caregivers’ QoL. The final model with the factors associated with the mild and moderate caregivers’ QoL explained 49% of the observed variance (p<0.001). The adjusted R-squared values and the standardized regression weights are presented in Table 4.
Factors related to burden and depressive symptoms of caregivers of mild and moderate PwD
Because the caregivers’ burden and depressive symptoms were related to the QoL of the caregivers caring for both mild and moderate PWD, we decided to investigate whether there were differences in the factors related to the caregivers’ burden and depressive symptoms by dementia severity.
The regression showed that the caregivers’ depressive symptoms (p<0.001) and PwD neuropsychiatric symptoms (p<0.001) were related to the burden experienced by the caregivers of mild PwD. The final model of the factors related to the burden of caregivers of mild dementia explained 52% of the observed variance (p<0.001). The adjusted R-squared values and the standardized regression weights are presented in Table 5.
The caregivers’ global self-reported QoL (p<0.01), the NPI domain of anxiety (p<0.01) and caregivers’ symptoms of anxiety (p<0.01) were related to the burden of care for caregivers of moderate dementia. The final model of the factors related to the burden for the caregivers of moderate dementia explained 57.1% of the observed variance (p<0.001). The adjusted R-squared values and the standardized regression weights are presented in Table 5.
The regression showed that depressive symptoms among the caregivers of mild PwD were related to the NPI domains of aberrant motor activity (p<0.001) and anxiety (p<0.001), and caregiver-reported QoL domains of friends (p<0.001) and mood (p<0.05). The final model of the factors related to depressive symptoms among the caregivers of mild PwD explained 86.7% of the observed variance (p<0.001). The adjusted R-squared values and the standardized regression weights are presented in Table 5.
Depressive symptoms among the caregivers of moderate PwD were related to the caregivers’ anxiety symptoms (p<0.001) and the caregiver-reported overall QoL (p<0.001) (Table 5). The final model of the factors related to depressive symptoms among the caregivers of moderate PwD explained 68.3% of the observed variance (p<0.001). The adjusted R-squared values and the standardized regression weights are presented in Table 5.
DISCUSSION
This study aims to investigate the factors related to QoL among caregivers of mild and moderate dementia and to further investigate the aspects which might be associated to them.
Our results showed that the caregivers’ burden and depressive symptoms were
strongly related with the caregivers’ QoL, for the caregivers of both mild
and moderate dementia groups. The QoL non-significant result most likely occurred
because the sample size was small and there was considerable variation in QoL
reported across participants. The QoL scores for the group of caregivers of mild PwD
(range 17-49) were included in the range of QoL scores for the group of caregivers
of moderate PwD (range 14-51). Both groups had heterogeneous QoL scores, which led
to a non-significant result. These results corroborate the results in the
literature, which stress the inverse association between caregiver burden1818 Spurlock WE. Spiritual well-being and caregiver burden in
Alzheimer’s caregivers. Geriatr Nurs. 2005;26(3):154-61.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2005.03.006
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2005...
,1919 Conde-Sala JL, Garre-Olmo J, Turró-Garriga O, López-Pousa
S, Vilalta-Franch, J. Factors related to perceived quality of life in patients
with Alzheimer’s disease: The patient’s perception compared with
that of caregivers. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2009;24(6):585-94.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/gps.2161
https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.2161...
and depressive symptoms2020 Takai M, Takahashi M, Iwamitsu Y, Oishi S, Miyaoka H. Subjective
experiences of family caregivers of patients with dementia as predictive factors
of quality of life. Psychogeriatrics. 2011;11(2):98-104.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-8301.2011.00354.x
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-8301.2011...
,2121 Bosboom PR, Alfonso H, Eaton J, Almeida OP. Quality of life in AD:
different factors associated with complementary ratings by patients and family
carers. Int Psychogeriatr. 2012;24(5):708-21.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1041610211002493
https://doi.org/10.1017/s104161021100249...
and QoL of caregivers. It has been suggested that
caregivers’ subjective experiences of depression and burden were more
predictive of caregivers’ QoL than the objective PwD-related variables, such
as the PwD cognitive impairment or functional abilities2020 Takai M, Takahashi M, Iwamitsu Y, Oishi S, Miyaoka H. Subjective
experiences of family caregivers of patients with dementia as predictive factors
of quality of life. Psychogeriatrics. 2011;11(2):98-104.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-8301.2011.00354.x
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-8301.2011...
.
Although our study showed that the same factors were related to the QoL of the
caregivers who cared for mild and moderate dementia, the associated factors differed
according to the severity of the dementia. For the caregivers of mild dementia,
burden was related to the caregiver’s depressive symptoms and PwD
neuropsychiatric symptoms. For the caregivers of moderate PwD, the factors related
to burden were the caregiver’s QoL as a whole and the caregiver’s and
PwD anxiety. Among the caregivers of mild dementia, depression (BDI) was related to
PwD aberrant motor activity and anxiety, and the caregiver’s self-reported
QoL in relation to friends and humor. For the caregivers of moderate dementia
depressive symptoms (BDI) were related to the caregiver’s anxiety and overall
QoL. The differences in burden and depressive symptoms between caregivers who care
for mild and moderate PwD may be associated with the caregivers’ attitudes
toward the disease. When the dementia diagnosis is disclosed, caregivers may
experience initial difficulties coping with the disease, especially with changes in
behavior, which may be a risk factor for increased caregiver burden and
depression2222 Hayes J, Zimmerman MK, Boylstein C. Responding to symptoms of
Alzheimer’s disease: husbands, wives, and the gendered dynamics of
recognition and disclosure. Qual Health Res. 2011;20(8):1101-15.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1049732310369559
https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732310369559...
. Another study
suggests that as dementia progresses, the caregivers may experience little success
in controlling the clinical aspects of the disease, which may lead them to believe
that nothing will change, no matter what action is taken2323 Campbell P, Wright J, Oyebode J, Job D, Crome P, Bentham P et al.
Determinants of burden in those who care for someone with dementia. Int J
Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008;23(10):1078-85.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/gps.2071
https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.2071...
. These feelings of helplessness may be related to
emotional distress, burden and depression among the caregivers of moderate dementia,
affecting their QoL as a whole. Thus, for caregivers of mild dementia, the burden
and depression may be associated with difficulties in managing the disease and
adapting to the PwD changes in the behavior, but as the disease progresses, the
burden of caregiving and depression may be affected by a decrease in the
caregivers’ QoL as a whole.
The present study has limitations that are important to acknowledge. First, the lack
of a difference in QoL between the caregivers of mild and moderate dementia may be
related to the fact that our sample was not randomized. A randomized clinical study
would be more appropriate for studying the differences between the groups of
caregivers. Second, the instruments should have been administered to the PwD and the
caregivers separately to ensure that the study participants were unaware of each
other's answers. Third, this study enrolled a small sample, and the fact that
many variables were included in the regression analysis may have produced some
chance associations. We would argue, however, that the consistency of our
observations with those of other studies suggests that this explanation is
unlikely1818 Spurlock WE. Spiritual well-being and caregiver burden in
Alzheimer’s caregivers. Geriatr Nurs. 2005;26(3):154-61.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2005.03.006
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2005...
,2424 Chappell NL, Reid RC. Burden and well-being among caregivers:
examining the distinction. Gerontologist. 2002;42(6):772-80.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geront/42.6.772
https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/42.6.772...
. Furthermore, we did not assess
the caregivers’ cognition and personality traits; we only had
caregivers’ reports about their history of cognitive impairment. Finally, the
findings are specific to the caregivers of mild and moderate AD and may not be
generalizable to the caregivers of severe AD. We did not include caregivers of
severe PwD in our research because the care recipients with severe dementia would
not be able to respond the instruments applied in our study. It is important for
future studies to compare our results with an analysis of more advanced stages of
AD.
In conclusion, QoL is a complex concept that includes both subjective and objective components. Therefore, investigating the factors related to the QoL of caregivers of mild and moderate dementia may also produce intricate results. We found that QoL of caregivers of people with mild and moderate dementia is related to burden and depressive symptoms. However, when comparing the caregivers of people with mild dementia and the caregivers of people with moderate dementia, our findings suggest that depressive symptoms and burden are driven by different factors. While a caregiver of mild dementia may have to cope with PwD neuropsychiatric symptoms and adapt to the diagnosis of dementia, a caregiver of moderate dementia may have impaired QoL overall because of caretaking tasks.
Our study may be helpful to the improvement of studies about adequate psychoeducational approaches to alleviate caregivers’ burden and depressive symptoms and to increase their QoL, considering the main specificities of each clinical stage of dementia, as well as the caregivers’ main needs.
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Support: This study was supported by Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), grant E-26/102.256/2010.
Publication Dates
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Publication in this collection
Dec 2014
History
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Received
19 June 2014 -
Reviewed
07 Aug 2014 -
Accepted
27 Aug 2014