Dementia is a debilitating condition characterized by memory decline, impaired cognitive functions, behavioural changes, and difficulties in performing daily activities. It predominantly affects older individuals and is a leading cause of disability. The global prevalence of dementia is on the rise, primarily due to population aging. Many individuals with dementia are cared for at home by their family members, who face the potential risk of caregiver burden and psychological stress stemming from the changing psychological state of the dementia patients. Providing daily care for individuals with dementia necessitates caregivers' active engagement in personal adaptation processes and the utilization of psychosocial resources. The purpose of this study is to determine the peculiarities of character accentuations of caregivers for patients with dementia. The study demonstrated that approximately 80% of patients with dementia receive care from their relatives. We conducted a comprehensive examination encompassing sociodemographic, clinical-psychopathological, psychodiagnostic, and statistical analyses. The methodology of K. Leongard - N. Schmieschek (1970) allowed us to establish a profile of personal accentuation of the studied groups, which took into account the presence of a certain type at the level of a sign, tendency or clearly present characteristic. Our findings revealed a statistically significant predominance of anxious (χ2=10.759, p=0.002) and stuck (χ2=4.166, p=0.042) accentuation types among individuals in Group I who possessed caregiving skills, compared to those in Group II. Conversely, caregivers in Group II exhibited a prevalent tendency towards demonstrative behaviour (χ2=8.028, p=0.005). Through this study, we established characterological profiles with pronounced accentuations for individuals fulfilling the role of caregivers for dementia patients. This enables us to consider the unique personal characteristics when developing psychocorrective measures for caregivers. For this particular category of individuals, counselling assistance is recommended, along with psychoeducational measures aimed at raising awareness and enhancing the quality of life.
The number of people with dementia is growing worldwide, and the prognosis is pointing out a significant increase in the overall prevalence of the disease because of aging. The deterioration of the patient's condition results in the increasing load on guardians that, in turns, leads to the deterioration of their psychoemotional state, and subsequently to the appearance or exacerbation of chronic somatic diseases. The purpose of this study is to determine the features of the psycho-emotional state in people who caring for patients with dementia. It has been found that almost 80% of patients with dementia receive care from their relatives. Care-givers for these patients are at risk of depression, anxiety and psychological stress. It has been stated that the high level of workload of caregivers largely depends on the patient’s ability to daily activity and the severity of dementia. Physical, emotional and economic overstrain leads to stress and an increase in cases of depressive, anxiety disorders in caregivers. Our study has identified factors influencing the mental health of caregivers, among which the severity of dementia and the patient's ability to be active and perform daily routine. It has been found that depending on the level of psychological stress, people with high levels of mental stress are more likely to show asthenia (p<0.001), social maladaptation (p<0.005), anxiety (p<0.001) and depression (p <0.001). This category of people needs psychological and counselling support. It is important to educate caregivers and to develop psychoeducational measures aimed at understanding the improvement of one's own psychological health, quality of life and determining the key role of care in meeting one's own needs.
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