A-05 Dyadic Influence on Levels of Depression in Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

Objective Two people who are significantly linked, such as in a husband and wife relationship, are known as a dyad. Dyadic units are helpful to look at as members influence the function of one another. This study looks at families where one member is the caregiver and the other has Alzheimer’s disease and receives care (labeled here as Alzheimer’s disease care recipient or CR). Symptoms of Alzheimer’s include cognitive and functional impairment, social withdrawal, impaired judgment, and mood changes. Notably, there is little research examining how Alzheimer’s dyads influence one another’s level of depression. This study examines how the influence of cognitive and psychosocial variables from the dyad impact depression severity in CRs. Method Archival data of 670 Alzheimer’s disease community-dwelling care recipients from several major cities throughout the United States from the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregivers Health II (REACH II) study was analyzed. The measures included: Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist (RMBPL), Activities of Daily Living/Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), Caregiver Burden, Social Support, and Positive Aspects of Caregiving. Results A multiple regression found that caregiver burden (β = 0.34, p < .001), IADL (β = 0.14, p < .001), and positive aspects of caregiving (β = 0.10, p = .02) significantly predicted CR depression ratings. Conclusion Increased positive aspects of caregiving, caregiver burden, and higher levels of CR functional decline were associated with significantly increased levels of depression in CRs. Increased CR depression could correspond with higher levels of awareness during earlier stages of the disease process regarding their impairment and impact on their caregiver.