Characteristics of relatives with high expressed emotion and related factors: a study of relatives of people with dementia in China

Abstract

Background China has the highest number of people with dementia globally, and the responsibility of caring for people with dementia primarily falls on relatives, who bear heavy caregiving burdens and pressure. Providing care for an individual with dementia is emotionally and physically demanding, particularly due to the frequent manifestation of behavioral and psychological symptoms associated with dementia (BPSD). This underscores the crucial need to comprehend and address caregivers’ emotional expression (EE). Aim To explore the characteristics of relatives with high expressed emotion of people with dementia and related factors in mainland China. Methods A survey using cross-sectional questionnaires conducted with 165 relatives of individuals with dementia in China. Results A significant number of relatives had high EE ( n = 61, 39%). The variation in EE, about 37.8%, is explained by seven independent variables. The proportion of psychological distress among relatives in EE variation is 14.5%. (b = 0.387, p < 0.001). Length of care-taking, active coping, and chronic diseases accounted for 6.5% (b = 0.264, p < 0.001), 5.1% (b=-0.239, p = 0.001) and 4.1% (b = 0.211, p = 0.002) of the variance in EE, respectively. Conclusions Chinese health care providers can identify high-risk groups for assistance based on the severity of dementia, age, health status and duration of care. Enhancing coping styles and alleviating emotional distress among relatives could be advantageous in decreasing EE. Clinical evidence Understanding the risk factors for high EE in different cultures can help guide practice on a global scale to improve the quality of life of people with dementia. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-024-02231-5.