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Cognitive performance, burden and stress in aged caregivers of older adults with and without cognitive impairment

Desempenho cognitivo, sobrecarga e estresse de idosos cuidadores de idosos com e sem alterações cognitivas

ABSTRACT.

There is an increasing number of aged people who provide care for other older people. Commonly existing burden and stress can change the forms of cognitive performance depending on the context of the aged caregivers.

Objective:

To compare the cognitive performance, burden and stress of aged caregivers of older adults with and without signs of cognitive impairment.

Methods:

A cross-sectional and quantitative study conducted with 205 aged caregivers of older adults with signs of cognitive impairment and 113 aged caregivers of older adults without signs of cognitive impairment treated in Primary Health Care. They were evaluated for sociodemographic characteristics, cognition, burden, and stress. Descriptive (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test) and comparative (Student's t-test and Pearson's χ² test) analyses were performed.

Results:

Aged caregivers of older adults with signs of cognitive impairment were older, had lower schooling levels, and a higher percentage of daily care hours compared to the aged caregivers of older adults without signs of cognitive impairment. Regarding cognitive performance, the means were lower for all domains. In addition, this same group had higher scores, with a statistically significant difference for perceived stress and burden.

Conclusion:

Aged caregivers of older adults with signs of cognitive impairment showed lower cognitive performance, as well as higher burden and stress levels. These findings guide the planning of interventions with aged caregivers in the Primary Health Care.

Keywords:
Caregivers; Cognition; Aged; Stress, Psychological; Family Health

RESUMO.

Nota-se um crescente número de idosos que prestam cuidados a outros idosos. A sobrecarga e o estresse comumente existentes podem afetar de formas diferentes o desempenho cognitivo, a depender do contexto desses idosos cuidadores.

Objetivo:

Comparar o desempenho cognitivo, a sobrecarga e o estresse de idosos cuidadores de idosos com e sem indícios de alterações cognitivas.

Métodos:

Estudo transversal e quantitativo realizado com 205 idosos cuidadores de idosos com indícios de alterações cognitivas e 113 idosos cuidadores de idosos sem indícios de alterações cognitivas atendidos na Atenção Primária à Saúde. Eles foram avaliados quanto às características sociodemográficas, cognição, sobrecarga e estresse. Análises descritivas (teste de Kolmogorov-Smirnov) e comparativas foram realizadas (teste t de Student e χ² de Pearson).

Resultados:

Os idosos cuidadores de idosos com indícios de alterações cognitivas eram mais velhos, com menor escolaridade e maior percentual de horas diárias de cuidado em comparação aos idosos cuidadores de idosos sem indícios de alterações cognitivas. Já quanto ao desempenho cognitivo, as médias foram inferiores para todos os domínios. Além disso, esse mesmo grupo apresentou maior pontuação, com diferença estatisticamente significante, para o estresse percebido e para a sobrecarga.

Conclusão:

Os cuidadores de idosos com indícios apresentaram menor desempenho cognitivo e maiores níveis de sobrecarga e estresse. Tais achados norteiam o planejamento de intervenções voltadas aos idosos cuidadores na Atenção Primaria à Saúde.

Palavras-chave:
Cuidadores; Cognição; Idoso; Estresse Psicológico; Saúde da Família

INTRODUCTION

A progressive increase in the number of aged people providing care to more dependent older adults is noted, that is, aged individuals taking care of other older individuals11 Ottaviani AC, Bregola AG, Terassi M, Luchesi BM, Souza EN, Oliveira NA, et al. Comparison of cognitive performance and aspects of the care context in elderly caregivers in Brazil: a follow-up study. Dement Neuropsychol. 2020;14(2):159-64. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-57642020dn14-020009
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33 Pavarini SCI, Bregola AG, Luchesi BM, Oliveira D, Orlandi FS, Moura FG, et al. Social and health-related predictors of family function in older spousal caregivers: a cross-sectional study. Dement Neuropsychol. 2020;14(4):372-8. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-57642020dn14-040007
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. This caregiver profile needs attention, as age is considered a predictor for the decline in cognitive functions44 Lima ATA, Rodrigues ACS, Ribeiro BT, Sales KGS. Análise da demência em idosos adscritos na estratégia de saúde da família do bairro Bom Pastor. Pensar Acadêmico. 2020;18(3):607-15.. Besides, caregiving requires involvement in tasks that are cognitively complex and may affect the caregivers’ mental and physical health55 Bom J, Bakx P, Schut F, van Doorslaer E. The impact of informal caregiving for older adults on the health of various types of caregivers: a systematic review. Gerontologist. 2019;59(5):e629-e642. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gny137
https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gny137...
, resulting in negative effects on the quality of self-care and care for others66 Zwar L, König HH, Hajek A. The impact of different types of informal caregiving on cognitive functioning of older caregivers: evidence from a longitudinal, population-based study in Germany. Soc Sci Med. 2018;214:12-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.048
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018...
.

Several studies indicate that caregivers of older adults have worse performance in cognitive processing, executive function, attention, memory and visuospatial ability compared to non-caregivers77 Barbosa F, Voss G, Matos AD. Health impact of providing informal care in Portugal. BMC Geriatr. 2020;20(1):440. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01841-z
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,88 Falzarano F, Siedlecki KL. Differences in cognitive performance between informal caregivers and non-caregivers. Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn. 2021;28(2):284-307. https://doi.org/10.1080/13825585.2020.1749228
https://doi.org/10.1080/13825585.2020.17...
. A literature review study evidenced that informal caregivers are more likely to have low cognitive performance, and the longer they are exposed to care tasks, the greater their cognitive decline, even after the aged person they cared for has died99 Martínez AR, Hidalgo-Moreno G, Moya-Albiol L. Neuropsychological consequences of chronic stress: the case of informal caregivers. Aging Ment Health. 2018;24(2):259-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2018.1537360
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.

International studies such as the cross-sectional one carried out with middle-aged caregivers in France1010 Giovannelli J, Pinon A, Lenain M, Cleys AL, Lefebvre B, Capon N, et al. The relationship between social deprivation and a frailty index of cumulative deficits in French middle-aged caregivers. BMC Geriatr. 2022;22(1):15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02736-3
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02736...
and the population-based study conducted in Germany with aged caregivers66 Zwar L, König HH, Hajek A. The impact of different types of informal caregiving on cognitive functioning of older caregivers: evidence from a longitudinal, population-based study in Germany. Soc Sci Med. 2018;214:12-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.048
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018...
identified that informal caregivers’ cognition is influenced by the care they offer, especially females66 Zwar L, König HH, Hajek A. The impact of different types of informal caregiving on cognitive functioning of older caregivers: evidence from a longitudinal, population-based study in Germany. Soc Sci Med. 2018;214:12-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.048
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018...
. In this way, the high stress levels resulting from the daily care burden can put the caregivers’ cognitive health at risk and make memory failure complaints emerge1111 Machado VP, Vicente ACF, Oliveira FC, Lima APS, Augusto ACS, Seixas RAM, et al. Oficina “MemorIdade”: impactos na cognição e queixa de memória em idosos de um Centro de Convivência. Revista Kairós-Gerontologia. 2019;22(3):301-17. https://doi.org/10.23925/2176-901X.2019v22i3p301-317
https://doi.org/10.23925/2176-901X.2019v...
.

Caregivers’ burden was considered a multidimensional response associated with the demand for care that can threaten physical and psychological well-being, and generate emotional discomfort1212 Diniz MAA, Melo BRS, Neri KH, Casemiro FG, Figueiredo LC, Gaioli CCLO, et al. Estudo comparativo entre cuidadores formais e informais de idosos. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva. 2018;23(11):3789-98. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-812320182311.16932016
https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232018231...
. It can be exacerbated by the negative impact of care provision and by the particularities of each older adult, such as neuropsychiatric symptoms, in the caregivers’ life1313 Pinyopornpanish M, Pinyopornpanish K, Soontornpun A, Tanprawate S, Nadsasarn A, Wongpakaran N, et al. Perceived stress and depressive symptoms not neuropsychiatric symptoms predict caregiver burden in Alzheimer's disease: a cross-sectional study. BMC Geriatr. 2021;21(1):180. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02136-7
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02136...
,1414 Teahan A, Lafferty A, Cullinan J, Fealy G, O’Shea E. An analysis of carer burden among family carers of people with and without dementia in Ireland. Int Psychogeriatr. 2021;33(4):347-58. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610220000769
https://doi.org/10.1017/S104161022000076...
, as well as stress1515 Lethin C, Leino-Kilpi H, Bleijlevens MH, Stephan A, Martin MS, Nilsson K, et al. Predicting caregiver burden in informal caregivers caring for persons with dementia living at home – a follow-up cohort study. Dementia (London). 2020;19(3):640-60. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218782502
https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218782502...
, depression1515 Lethin C, Leino-Kilpi H, Bleijlevens MH, Stephan A, Martin MS, Nilsson K, et al. Predicting caregiver burden in informal caregivers caring for persons with dementia living at home – a follow-up cohort study. Dementia (London). 2020;19(3):640-60. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218782502
https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218782502...
,1616 Aung TNN, Aung MN, Moolphate S, Koyanagi Y, Supakankunti S, Yuasa M. Caregiver burden and associated factors for the respite care needs among the family caregivers of community dwelling senior citizens in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(11):5873. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115873
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115873...
care time1717 Mendes PN, Figueiredo MLF, Santos AMR, Fernandes MA, Fonseca RSB. Physical, emotional and social burden of elderly patients’ informal caregivers. Acta Paul Enferm. 2019;32(1):87-94. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0194201900012
https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-01942019000...
, the fact of living with the older adult, and social and leisure restriction1818 Eyaloba C, De Brauwer I, Cès S, Benoit F, Gillain S, Pesch L, et al. Profile and needs of primary informal caregivers of older patients in Belgian geriatric day hospitals: a multicentric cross-sectional study. BMC Geriatr. 2021;21(1):315. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02255-1
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02255...
.

A systematic review showed that there is diverse evidence of the negative impact of care on informal caregivers’ mental and physical health. Effects were observed especially in women, married caregivers, and those providing intensive care55 Bom J, Bakx P, Schut F, van Doorslaer E. The impact of informal caregiving for older adults on the health of various types of caregivers: a systematic review. Gerontologist. 2019;59(5):e629-e642. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gny137
https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gny137...
.

Nevertheless, the results about the impact of care on the caregivers’ cognitive performance are still controversial and there are few studies addressing different groups of aged caregivers. Thus, the study hypothesis is that aged caregivers of older adults with signs of cognitive impairment (CI) have worse cognitive performance, increased stress and burden compared to aged caregivers of older adults without signs of cognitive impairment (WCI).

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional and quantitative study, developed with aged caregivers treated in Primary Health Care from a municipality in the inland of the state of São Paulo, Brazilian southeast region.

The inclusion criteria for the aged caregivers were age 60 years or older, being registered in a Family Health Unit (FHU), and being a caregiver of a dependent older adult in the same house. To be considered care recipients, the older adults should require assistance for at least one basic activity of daily living (BADL) evaluated by the Katz Index1919 Lino VTS, Pereira SEM, Camacho LAB, Ribeiro Filho ST, Buksman S. Cross-cultural adaptation of the Independence in Activities of Daily Living Index (Katz Index). Cad Saúde Pública. 2008;24(1):103-12. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X2008000100010
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X200800...
, and/or instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) according to the Lawton and Brody Scale2020 Santos RL, Virtuoso Júnior JS. Confiabilidade da versão brasileira da escala de atividades instrumentais da vida diária. Revista Brasileira em Promoção de Saúde. 2008;21(4):290-6.. These instruments were also applied to the aged caregivers, who should be independent or have a score of dependence on a smaller number of activities compared to the assisted older adults.

The exclusion criteria were the following: both aged individuals being independent for the activities of daily living (ADL), aged caregivers who had a severe hearing or visual impairments that could compromise their ability to answer the questionnaire, and those who had communication difficulties that prevented understanding the questions. In addition, cases of death of one of the aged individuals in the house, address change, and whether the older adult was not found at home after three attempts on different days and times, were also excluded.

The sample was selected from a total of 594 homes listed by the FHU teams, where two or more aged people lived. All homes were visited, except: 69 because the subjects were not found at home after three attempts; 28 due to change of address; 26 due to death of one of the aged individuals; 84 for refusal to participate; and 36 aged individuals were evaluated as independent for BADL and IADL in the same household.

The result was 351 interviewed dyads of aged caregivers and assisted older adults; among them, 33 were excluded due to incomplete evaluations. Therefore, the final sample consisted of 318 aged caregivers, divided into two groups: CI group (n=205) and WCI group (n=113). For the group of care recipient older adults without signs of cognitive impairment (OWCI), it was necessary a score higher than or equal to 65 points on the Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination — Revised (ACE-R). For the group of assisted older adults with cognitive impairment (OCI), a score below 65 points established by the ACE-R cutoff value was required2121 César KG, Yassuda MS, Porto FHG, Brucki SMD, Nitrini R. Addenbrooke's cognitive examination-revised: normative and accuracy data for seniors with heterogeneous educational level in Brazil. Int Psychogeriatr. 2017;29(8):1345-53. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610217000734
https://doi.org/10.1017/S104161021700073...
.

The data were collected through previously scheduled home interviews by trained researchers. The interviews took place in a single session, lasting approximately one hour and thirty minutes, from April to November 2014. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of São Carlos (CAAE N. 45904621.7.0000.5504). The participation was voluntary and all of them signed the Free and Informed Consent Form.

The data on sociodemographic characterization and care were collected through a questionnaire prepared by the researchers containing diverse information as: gender (female/male), age (years), schooling (years), marital status (married/not married), care time (years), daily care (hours), and dependence level of the assisted older adult through BADL — Katz Index1919 Lino VTS, Pereira SEM, Camacho LAB, Ribeiro Filho ST, Buksman S. Cross-cultural adaptation of the Independence in Activities of Daily Living Index (Katz Index). Cad Saúde Pública. 2008;24(1):103-12. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X2008000100010
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X200800...
and IADL — Lawton and Brody Scale2020 Santos RL, Virtuoso Júnior JS. Confiabilidade da versão brasileira da escala de atividades instrumentais da vida diária. Revista Brasileira em Promoção de Saúde. 2008;21(4):290-6..

Cognition was assessed using the ACE-R score, which varies from 0 to 100 points and considers different domains: orientation and attention (18 points), memory (26 points), verbal fluency (14 points), language (26 points), and visuospatial skills (16 points)2222 Carvalho VA, Caramelli P. Brazilian adaptation of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R). Dement Neuropsychol. 2007;(2):212-6. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1980-57642008dn10200015
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1980-57642008dn...
. For data comparison, the total mean of ACE-R and that of the domains were considered.

Care-related burden was verified utilizing the Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI). It assesses the perceived impact of the act of caring on the caregiver's physical and emotional health, social activities, and financial standing. The total score varies from 0 to 88, and the higher the score, the greater the intensity presented by the caregiver2323 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):12-7. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-44462002000100006
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-4446200200...
. For the analysis of this population, the total score was considered.

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was also used; its score can vary from 0 to 56, with higher values indicating higher levels of perceived stress2424 Luft CDB, Sanches SO, Mazo GZ, Andrade A. Brazilian version of the Perceived Stress Scale: translation and validation for the elderly. Rev Saúde Pública. 2007;41(4):606-15. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0034-89102007000400015
https://doi.org/10.1590/s0034-8910200700...
. For the current study, the total score was considered.

The data were typed and validated with double-blind entry in Excel 2010 and exported to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 21.0 (IBM Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Subgroups were created to enable a comparative analysis of the groups CI and WCI. Descriptive statistics were performed for simple and percentage frequencies for the categorical variables and, for the continuous variables, the mean and standard deviation (SD) were calculated. Data normality was confirmed by means of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. For the comparison between the groups, the Student's t-test and Pearson's χ2; test were employed, with p≤0.05 as significance level.

RESULTS

Table 1 presents the comparative analysis of the sociodemographic characteristics, performance in the ADL, and total cognitive performance of the assisted older adults.

Table 1
Comparison of the sociodemographic data, cognitive performance and basic and instrumental activities of daily living of assisted older adults with signs of cognitive impairment and those without signs of cognitive impairment. São Carlos, 2014–2015.

Table 2 exhibits the comparative analysis of the sociodemographic characteristics and the care context for the groups of aged caregivers of older adults (CI and WCI).

Table 2
Comparison between the sociodemographic and care context data of the caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment and those without cognitive impairment. São Carlos, 2014–2015.

Table 3 displays the comparison of cognitive performance, burden and stress between the groups of caregivers.

Table 3
Comparison between the cognitive performance, burden and stress of the caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment and those without cognitive impairment. São Carlos, 2014–2015.

DISCUSSION

Regarding the sociodemographic profile of the assisted older adults, there were statistically significant differences for age, gender, and schooling, with the older adults from the CI group being older, with lower schooling levels, and dependent for most of the basic and instrumental activities, as well as presenting lower cognitive performance. The main differences presented by these older adults from the CI group refer to aspects mentioned in the literature as predictors of lower cognitive performance, such as low schooling level2525 Castro-Costa E, Lima-Costa MF, Andrade FB, Souza Junior PRB, Ferri CP. Função cognitiva entre adultos mais velhos: resultados do ELSI-Brasil. Rev Saúde Pública. 2018;52(supl. 2):4s. https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2018052000629
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,2626 Saenz JL, Downer B, Garcia MA, Wong R. Cognition and context: rural-urban differences in cognitive aging among older Mexican adults. J Aging Health. 2018;30(6):965-86. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264317703560
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, older age2525 Castro-Costa E, Lima-Costa MF, Andrade FB, Souza Junior PRB, Ferri CP. Função cognitiva entre adultos mais velhos: resultados do ELSI-Brasil. Rev Saúde Pública. 2018;52(supl. 2):4s. https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2018052000629
https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2018...
, and greater dependence for ADL2727 Steffens T, Molinari T, Dias CP. Relação entre estado cognitivo e variáveis sociodemográficas e funcionais em idosos longevos: estudo observacional no município de Porto Alegre/RS. Estud Interdiscipl Envelhec. 2019;24:61-74.https://doi.org/10.22456/2316-2171.97675
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.

Considering the aged caregivers, they were mostly women, had low schooling levels, and lived with the older adults they cared for. There were differences between the groups referring to age, schooling and care hours, with the CI group being older, with lower schooling mean, and more time devoted to care. The sociodemographic characteristics of the aged caregivers are similar to those observed in the national and international studies2828 Lopes CC, Oliveira GA, Stigger FS, Lemos AT. Associação entre a ocorrência de dor e sobrecarga em cuidadores principais e o nível de independência de idosos nas atividades de vida diária: estudo transversal. Cad Saúde Coletiva. 2020;28(1):98-106. https://doi.org/10.1590/1414-462X202028010184
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,2929 Adedeji IA, Ogunniyi A, Henderson DC, Sam-Agudu NA. Experiences and practices of caregiving for older persons living with dementia in African countries: a qualitative scoping review. Dementia (London). 2022;21(3):995-1011. https://doi.org/10.1177/14713012211065398
https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301221106539...
.

The present study compared cognitive performance and the emotional aspects (burden and stress) among aged caregivers of older adults with and without signs of cognitive impairment. The caregivers of the CI group presented lower cognitive performance according to the ACE-R total score, 21% lower than the WIC group, and with higher burden and stress levels. In addition to that, it is noted that the CI group presented cognitive impairment with a lower mean in all cognitive domains compared to the WCI group, with an emphasis on a lower mean in verbal fluency.

The lower cognitive performance in the CI group can be explained by the sociodemographic characteristics (age, schooling), by care-related aspects (increased burden and stress evidenced and less time available for self-care)3030 Pereira XBF, Araújo FLC, Leite TIA, Araújo FAC, Bonfada D, Lucena EES. Prevalência e fatores associados ao déficit cognitivo em idosos na comunidade. Rev Bras Geriatr Gerontol. 2020;23(2):e200012. https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-22562020023.200012
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,3131 Kim H, Lee S, Ku BD, Ham SG, Park WS. Associated factors for cognitive impairment in the rural highly elderly. Brain Behav. 2019;9(5):e01203. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.1203
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, and by care provision for more cognitively compromised older adults3232 Pessotti CFC, Fonseca LC, Tedrus GMAS, Laloni DT. Family caregivers of elderly with dementia relationship between religiosity, resilience, quality of life and burden. Dement Neuropsychol. 2018;12(4):408-14. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-57642018dn12-040011
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.

Regarding emotional health, it can be related to care responsibility. Women commonly assume most of the responsibility for the care provided, accumulating multiple activities, when in fact it could be shared with other family members and other spheres (state and society)3333 Minayo MCS. Cuidar de quem cuida de idosos dependentes: por uma política necessária e urgente. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva. 2021;26(1):7-15. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232020261.30872020
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.

As the dependence level of the assisted older adult increases, the caregiver's stress level increases proportionally3434 Ikegami EM, Almeida JR, Souza LA, Walsh IAP, Shimano SGN, Patrizzi LJ. Relação entre sobrecarga de cuidadores informais e nível de independência de idosos hospitalizados. Rev Ter Ocup Univ São Paulo. 2018;29(2):129-34. http://dx.doi.org/10.11606/issn.2238-6149.v29i2p129-134
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. In turn, the stress symptoms are burden predictors, as well as depression and anxiety symptoms, which can cause serious harms to mental health3535 Pedroso TG, Araújo AS, Santos MTS, Galera SAF, Cardoso L. Caregiver burden and stress in psychiatric hospital admission. Rev Bras Enferm. 2019;72(6):1699-706. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2018-0832
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, even compromising the caregivers’ cognition3636 Oliveira LM, Carvalho MSS, Carneiro LC, Silva Junior EG, Souto RQ. Rastreio do déficit cognitivo dos cuidadores de idosos comunitários. Anais do VI Congresso internacional de envelhecimento humano; 2019 jun. 26-28; Campina Grande (PB); 11 p..

The dependence level of the assisted older adults, their physical and mental health conditions, and their cognitive capacity, in addition to other aspects related to the caregivers’ characteristics such as age, time devoted to the care, and social support received, among others, generate feelings of burden1616 Aung TNN, Aung MN, Moolphate S, Koyanagi Y, Supakankunti S, Yuasa M. Caregiver burden and associated factors for the respite care needs among the family caregivers of community dwelling senior citizens in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(11):5873. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115873
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115873...
,2828 Lopes CC, Oliveira GA, Stigger FS, Lemos AT. Associação entre a ocorrência de dor e sobrecarga em cuidadores principais e o nível de independência de idosos nas atividades de vida diária: estudo transversal. Cad Saúde Coletiva. 2020;28(1):98-106. https://doi.org/10.1590/1414-462X202028010184
https://doi.org/10.1590/1414-462X2020280...
,3737 Lindt N, van Berkel J, Mulder BC. Determinants of overburdening among informal carers: a systematic review. BMC Geriatr. 2020;20(1):304. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01708-3
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which can compromise the aged caregivers’ quality of life3838 Flesch LD, Batistoni SST, Neri AL, Cachioni M. Elderly who care for elderly: double vulnerability and quality of life. Developmental Psychology. 2020;30:e3003. https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1982-4327e3003
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, impair their sleep3939 Monteiro JKMF, Sá SPC, Cardoso RSS, Borges WD, Avanci B. Overload of the fourth age family caregiver of the elderly. Res Soc Dev. 2020;9(9):e33996401. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i9.6401
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, and harm performance of the care activities4040 Damasceno VAM, Zazzetta MS, Orlandi FS. Adaptação da escala para medir a habilidade de cuidado de cuidadores familiares de pessoas com doença crônica no Brasil. Aquichan. 2019;19(4):e1948. https://doi.org/10.5294/aqui.2019.19.4.8
https://doi.org/10.5294/aqui.2019.19.4.8...
.

It is noted that all the symptoms presented by the caregivers add up to a self-harm cycle, including an impairment in quality of life, which can increase the chance of declining cognitive performance by up to 3.4 times4141 Brandão BMLS, Silva AMB, Souto RQ, Alves FAP, Araújo GKN, Jardim VCFS, et al. Relação da cognição e qualidade de vida entre idosos comunitários: estudo transversal. Rev Bras Enferm. 2020;73(Suppl 3):e20190030. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2019-0030
https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2019-0...
. The same happens in the cases of people with altered sleep; when impaired, it is potentially harmful to the individual's cognition, mainly impairing memory and processing speed4242 Umemura GS, Pinho JP, Gonçalves BSB, Furtado F, Forner-Cordero A. Social jetlag impairs balance control. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):9406. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-27730-5
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-27730...
.

If the caregivers’ cognitive performance is impaired, the care activities for the older adults can be potentially compromised, such as preparing meals and handling medications, as well as identifying health-related problems. A study carried out in Niterói demonstrated that caregivers of older adults with dementia showed cognitive decline, especially in the memory domain4343 Andrade GN, Camacho ACLF, Santos ACFT, Silva AP, Menezes HF. The relationship between cognitive performance and pain in elderly caregivers. Res Soc Dev. 2020;9(8):e579985965. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i8.5965
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i8.5965...
. Although the study was developed in the context of caring for older adults with dementia, it is noted that those data were similar to our study. Therefore, we can assume that the existence of cognitive changes in the older adults from the CI group generate specific demands for each type of care, and that these demands influence perceived stress and burden. In turn, these emotions exerted a negative influence on the caregivers’ cognitive state4444 Contreras ML, Mioshi E, Kishita N. Factors related to the quality of life in family carers of people with dementia: a meta-analysis. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2021;34(5):482-500. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891988720924713
https://doi.org/10.1177/0891988720924713...
.

The present study provides important information about cognitive performance, burden and stress in aged caregivers of older adults with and without signs of cognitive impairment. The possibility of a broad gerontological evaluation by professionals from FHUs is noted, in order to early identify the demands of these aged caregivers and, thus, develop interventions aimed both at health promotion and disease prevention with the objective of improving their health and quality of life. These results are expected to support the development of public policies for this population and future research studies in order to identify effective interventions.

It is concluded that the groups were sociodemographically similar: prevalence of women, married individuals, and incomplete elementary school. Regarding total cognition and its domains, the CI group presented lower means in cognitive performance compared to the WIC group. The domain with the lowest mean was “verbal fluency” and the one with the highest mean was “language”. The caregivers from the CI group obtained higher scores for burden and perceived stress levels compared to the caregivers of older adults from the WCI group.

This study has limitations for its cross-sectional nature; it is not possible to verify the cause-and-effect relationship of the variables and generalize the data due to the specific sample of aged caregivers. For future research studies, we suggest meeting such demands and considering other variables, such as coping, and social support and social context of the aged caregivers.

  • This study was developed in the Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos SP, Brazil.
  • Funding: none.

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    26 June 2023
  • Date of issue
    2023

History

  • Received
    29 Aug 2022
  • Reviewed
    03 Mar 2023
  • Accepted
    12 Apr 2023
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