Caregiving in progressive supranuclear palsy.
BACKGROUND
Basic issues regarding factors influencing progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patient caregiver burden remain unresolved, including whether and how disease severity and duration influence caregiver burden.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the relation between PSP patient caregiver burden and disease severity, describe the time course of caregiver burden in relation to disease progression, and identify the contribution of other factors (e.g., patient memory and behavioral problems, caregiver gender) to caregiver burden.


METHODS
Mail survey of 180 caregivers of PSP patients (living at home and cared for by nonprofessionals) who were members of the Society for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. The survey included the Burden Interview, an instrument measuring caregiver burden by inquiring how they feel about different aspects and demands of caregiving.


RESULTS
Caregiver burden was related to both PSP disease severity (r = 0.40) and disability/need for assistance (r = 0.43). The relation between burden and disease duration was nonlinear, following the same time course as disease severity; the burden increased during the first 18 months postdiagnosis and leveled off thereafter. Women reported more burden than men (caregiver sex delta r2 = 0.05), even after controlling for disease severity and duration (delta r2 = 0.22) and patient gender (delta r2 < 0.01; NS), patient depression (delta r2 = 0.09), and aggressiveness (delta r2 = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Burden in PSP is related to disease severity, disease duration, and caregiver gender (even after controlling for patient's memory, patient depression, and aggression).
Uttl
B
B
Henry M. Jackson Foundation and the Cognitive Neuroscience Section, Medical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1440, USA.
Santacruz
P
P
Litvan
I
I
Grafman
J
J
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000374:Aggression; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001519:Behavior; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003863:Depression; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013494:Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States