Self-esteem, self-efficacy, and optimism as psychological resources among caregivers of people with dementia: findings from the IDEAL study

Abstract

ObjectivesBeing a family caregiver, and in particular giving care to someone with dementia, impacts upon mental and physical health, and potentially reduces the ability of caregivers to 'live well'. This paper examines whether three key psychological resources, self-efficacy, optimism and self-esteem, are associated with better outcomes for caregivers of people with dementia. Design and ParticipantsCaregivers of 1283 people with mild-to-moderate dementia in the Improving the experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life (IDEAL) project responded to measures of selfefficacy, optimism and self-esteem, and 'living well' (quality of life, life satisfaction and well-being). Multivariate linear regression was used to examine the association between psychological resources and 'living well'. ResultsSelf-efficacy, optimism and self-esteem were all independently associated with better capability to 'live well' for caregivers. This association persisted when accounting for a number of potential confounding variables (age group, sex, and hours of caregiving per day). ConclusionsLow self-efficacy, optimism and self-esteem might present a risk of poor outcomes for caregivers of people with dementia. These findings encourage us to consider how new or established interventions might increase the psychological resilience of caregivers. Clare, L., et al. (2019). A comprehensive model of factors associated with capability to "live well" for family caregivers of people living with mild-to-moderate dementia: findings from the IDEAL study. Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, 33, 29-35 2003). Anger and depression management: psychoeducational skill training interventions for women caregivers of a relative with dementia. The Gerontologist, 43, 678-689. doi: 10.1093/geront/43.5.678 Crellin, N. E., Orrell, M., McDermott, O., and Charlesworth, G. (2014). Self-efficacy and health-related quality of life in family carers of people with dementia: a systematic review. Aging and Mental Health, 18, 954-969.

Quality of Life and Well-being of Carers of People With Dementia: Are There Differences Between Working and Nonworking Carers? Results From the IDEAL Program

“…Independent of working status, higher self-esteem and reduced relative stress were two common contributors to both QoL and well-being among both samples of DWC and DNWC. This reinforces the findings from Brodaty and Donkin (2009) and Lamont et al (2019), reporting associations between self-esteem and indices of QoL and wellbeing, and associations between stress, QoL (Häusler et al, 2016), and broad domains of emotional, psychological, and physical well-being (Ervin et al, 2015;Raivio et al, 2015) reported in other dementia family carer studies.…”

“…A recent systematic review reported that good physical and mental health, independence (i.e., time not spent caring), and opportunity for respite associated with better carer QoL (Farina et al, 2017). In carers of people with dementia recruited to a large UK study, psychological characteristics and psychological health were primary determinants of living well (the IDEAL programme) (Clare et al, 2014(Clare et al, , 2019. Additionally, Lamont et al (2019) reported that, controlling for age, sex, and number of hours of caregiving, self-efficacy, optimism and self-esteem were independently associated with capability of carers of PwD to 'live well'.…”

“…In carers of people with dementia recruited to a large UK study, psychological characteristics and psychological health were primary determinants of living well (the IDEAL programme) (Clare et al, 2014(Clare et al, , 2019. Additionally, Lamont et al (2019) reported that, controlling for age, sex, and number of hours of caregiving, self-efficacy, optimism and self-esteem were independently associated with capability of carers of PwD to 'live well'. These recent papers all report analyses independent of working status.…”

Home-Based Care for People with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) during COVID-19 Pandemic: From Challenges to Solutions

“…People with ADRD utilize various resources from different settings depending on their severity of illness [ 42 ]. They are among the most vulnerable groups in society due to the deterioration of physical and cognitive functionalities that often leads toward a high dependency on others [ 43 ].…”

Components of psychological resilience in dementia caregivers

“…A final consideration when putting the current results (Lamont et al, 2019) in context is the relatively low level of caregiving responsibilities endorsed by participants, with a minority (32.3%) of the sample reporting caregiving for ten or more hours per day. Consistent with this relatively lower level of caregiver burden, a relatively small portion of the sample (12.7%) met the symptom severity threshold indicating possible clinical depression (scores of 16 or above on the CESD-R scale).…”