Factors associated with the variability in caregiver assessments of the capacities of the patients with Alzheimer"s disease
Abstract Background: Several studies have identified certain caregiver factors that can produce variability in their assessments of the capacities of patients with Alzheimer"s disease (AD). Objectives: To identify the caregiver variables associated with variability in their ratings of patients&...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión aceptada para publicación |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2013 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Universidad de Barcelona |
| Repositorio: | Dipòsit Digital de la UB |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/59011 |
| Acesso em linha: | https://hdl.handle.net/2445/59011 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palavra-chave: | Malaltia d'Alzheimer Cuidadors Qualitat de vida Alzheimer's disease Caregivers Quality of life |
| Resumo: | Abstract Background: Several studies have identified certain caregiver factors that can produce variability in their assessments of the capacities of patients with Alzheimer"s disease (AD). Objectives: To identify the caregiver variables associated with variability in their ratings of patients" capacities. Methods: Consecutive sample of 221 out-patients with AD and their family caregivers. The capacities evaluated by caregivers were: the degree of functional disability, using the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD); psychological and behavioral symptoms, via the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI); anosognosia, with the Anosognosia Questionnaire Dementia (AQ-D); and quality of life, using the Quality of Life in AD (QOL-AD). The relationship between these measures and caregiver gender, burden, depression, and health was analyzed by means of a bivariate analysis, calculating the effect size (Cohen"s d), and subsequently by a regression analysis, calculating the contribution coefficient (CC). Results: The greatest variability in caregiver assessments was observed in relation to patients with early-stage dementia, where caregiver burden was the main factor associated with a more negative evaluation (d = 1.02 to 1.25). Depression in the caregiver was associated with less variability and only in the assessments of patients with moderate dementia (d = 0.38 to 0.69). In the regression analysis, caregiver factors were associated with greater variance in scores on the NPI (CC = 37.4%) and QOL-AD (CC = 27.2%), and lower variance in AQ-D (CC = 21.6%) and DAD (CC = 10.3%) scores. Conclusions: Caregiver burden and depression were associated with more negative assessments of patients" psychological and behavioral symptoms and quality of life. Key words: Alzheimer"s disease, family caregivers, functional capacity, neuropsychiatric symptoms, anosognosia, quality of life. |
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