Alzheimer's Disease: Caregivers' Perceptions of Burden

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine factors contributing to the burden of primary caregivers of Alzheimer's Disease patients. Burden was measured by the Burden Interview while the patient's level of functioning was rated by caregivers on the Symptom Questionnaire and the Dementia Rating Scale. In addition, the relationship between burden and a number of other relevant variables including stress responses, help orientation, social support, and predisease caregiver-patient relationship was assessed. The cross-sectional analyses suggest that burden is uncorrelated overall with level of dementia. However, there are significant differences in level of burden reported by respondents caring for patients in varying stages of the disease. While burden was found to be negatively correlated with the predisease caregiver-patient relationship, burden was positively correlated with stress response and support group impact. Finally, no relationship between burden and help orientation was found. The retest analysis was based upon data collected from subjects retested nine months following the original testing. As predicted, level of dementia, burden, and support group attendance exhibited significant increases. Additionally, caregivers reported a decrease in help beliefs consistent with the medical model. Theoretical and methodological issues are discussed and recommendations for future research are made.

Between Stressors and Outcomes: Can We Simplify Caregiving Process Variables?

“…A relationship between disability and stress has at times been confirmed (Deimling & Bass, 1986;Schulz, Tompkins, Wood, & Decker, 1987;Stoller & Pugliesi, 1989), but more commonly not (George & Gwyther, 1986;Haley, Levine, Brown, & Bartolucci, 1987;Kinney & Stephens, 1989;Moritz, Kasl, & Berkman, 1989;Morris et al, 1988;Pagel et al, 1985). Similarly, a positive relationship between caregiver and care receiver has been seen as beneficial (Gilleard, Gilleard, Gledhill, & Whittick, 1984;Horowitz, 1985;Morris et al, 1988;Pruchno et al, 1990;Whiteck, Hoyt, & Huck, 1994), and other times not (Cantor, 1983;Gilhooly, 1984;Jenkins, Parham, & Jenkins, 1985).…”

Coping With Perceived Burden: Ethnic and Cultural Issues in Alzheimer's Family Caregiving

“…That Whites attend support groups more frequently than do minority group members is widely acknowledged. The effectiveness of participating in a support group as a mediator of caregiver stress is also well-documented (Barnes, Raskind, Scott, & Murphy, 1981;Gallagher, 1985;Jenkins, Parham, & Jenkins, 1985).…”

A Comparison of Marital Interaction Patterns Between Couples in Which the Husband Does or Does Not Have Alzheimer's Disease

“…Attempts to identify specific characteristics of caregiving detrimental to health and well-being have emphasized the quality and dynamics of the caregivercare recipient relationship (Niederehe & Scott, 1987), as well as the affective ties between the caregiver and carerecipient (Chenoweth & Spencer, 1986;Deimling & Bass, 1986;Fitting, Rabins, Lucas, & Eastham, 1986;Zarit, Todd, & Zarit, 1986). On the other hand, some studies have found that characteristics of the caregiver-care recipient relationship do not influence the caregiver's feelings about his or her role (Jenkins, Parham, & Jenkins, 1985;Zarit, Reever, & Bach-Peterson, 1980), leaving some to suggest more careful investigation of interpersonal factors (Birkel, 1987;DeLongis & O'Brien, 1990).…”