Association between Caregiver Neurotic Personality Trait and Elder Abuse: Investigating the Moderating Role of Change in the Level of Caregiver Perceived Burden

Abstract

<b><i>Objectives:</i></b> To investigate whether caregiver neuroticism affects the level of elder abuse and whether changes of caregiver perceived burden alter this relationship. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Using 2-year longitudinal data, a consecutive sample of 800 Chinese family caregivers and their care recipients with dementia were recruited from the geriatric and neurological departments of 3 grade-A hospitals in the People’s Republic of China. All the participatory dyads were assessed between September 2015 and February 2016 and followed up for 2 years. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Significant increase in the prevalence was found for physical abuse, psychological abuse, and caregiver neglect. Caregiver neuroticism was associated with an increased level of physical and psychological abuse over the 2-year observation period; however, change in the level of caregiver perceived burden altered this association. Specifically, the absence and decrease of perceived care burden prevented an increase in the level of physical and psychological abuse among caregivers high in neuroticism. Although caregiver neuroticism was also associated with an increased level of caregiver neglect, caregiver perceived burden did not appear to have an impact on this relationship. <b><i>Discussion:</i></b> This study provided evidence that caregiver neuroticism was associated with an increased level of physical and psychological abuse, while changes in the level of caregiver perceived burden may alter this trajectory. These findings suggest the importance of implementing caregiver-centered intervention and prevention programs for elder abuse by specifically targeting caregivers’ behaviors related to their neurotic personality trait and cognitive appraisal of caregiving stressors associated with such personality traits.

Narrativas de violência e saúde mental: experiências e territórios

“…O abuso dos idosos pode ocorrer em diversos contextos, incluindo aqueles em que os próprios cuidadores apresentam problemas de saúde mental ou física. Transtornos como depressão, ansiedade, estresse pós-traumático e transtornos relacionados ao uso de substâncias podem comprometer sua habilidade de tomar decisões racionais, lidar com o estresse e controlar suas emoções, o que influencia na capacidade do cuidador fornecer cuidados adequados e atentos ao idoso, o que pode levar a situações de negligência ou abuso (Fang;Liu e Yan, 2021).…”

“…Cuidadores sobrecarregados emocionalmente e com poucas estratégias de enfrentamento adequadas podem descontar suas frustrações e emoções negativas no idoso, resultando em comportamentos abusivos, como humilhação, insultos e ameaças verbais (Fang et al, 2021).…”

Prevalence and correlates of elder neglect in the community-dwelling Chinese population: New evidence from the CLHLS study

“…Lack of friends, isolation, social disconnection, and loneliness are frequently reported in neglected older adults ( 16 ). When family caregivers (spouse, children, or relatives) do not have the strength or skills to meet the older person's daily needs or are unwilling to fulfill caregiving responsibilities, EN occurs ( 17 ). At the community level, home care, public health, and medical services play an important role in caring for older adults with functional impairment and self-care disabilities.…”

6G and Artificial Intelligence Technologies for Dementia Care: Literature Review and Practical Analysis (Preprint)

“…In South Africa, for example, it is common for dementia patients, especially those of the female gender, to be considered as witches, even by health care professionals and patients' family caregivers-as a result, rather than receiving quality care and pre-eminent support, these patients are often bullied, beaten, or burned many thanks to their caregivers' exceedingly invalid but deeply ingrained dementia beliefs [13]. Furthermore, for some dementia caregivers, the seemingly never-ending, ever-worsening, and extremely-demanding duties and responsibilities associated with dementia care, particularly when compounded by (1) their lack of awareness, knowledge, and training, (2) competing interests and engagements, as well as (3) potential learned helplessness due to the continued absence of a tangible dementia cure, might be enough to trick or trigger them into committing inexcusable, yet possibly inescapable, neglect and abuse of dementia patients [16][17][18].…”

“…In other words, the existing dementia caregiving model could possibly benefit from a paradigm shift. Rather than solely relying on laborious, time-consuming, and human-dependent solutions that suffer from great variability in terms of care quality [16][17][18]), efficient, cost-effective, and technology-based interventions could be the much-needed solution to tame the dementia epidemic, interventions such as those that are powered by advanced technological solutions such as the sixth-generation wireless technologies (6G) and artificial intelligence (AI) [24][25][26]. However, while 6G and AI technologies hold great promise, no research has examined how 6G and AI applications can effectively and efficiently address dementia patients' health care needs and improve their quality of life.…”