title: Impaired awareness, behavior disturbance, and caregiver burden in Alzheimer disease.
abstract: Caregiver burden, the stress experienced as a result of caregiving, is determined by many factors. This study examined the contributions of the patient's awareness of memory deficit and behavioral disturbance to caregiver burden in Alzheimer disease. Participants were 41 patients with Alzheimer disease and their caregivers. Dementia severity, functional impairment, awareness of memory deficit, and behavioral disturbance were measured and examined in relation to caregiver burden. Positive correlations were found between caregiver burden and both impaired awareness of memory deficit and behavioral disturbance. Regression analyses demonstrated that both impaired patient awareness of memory deficit and behavioral disturbance contributed to caregiver burden over and above dementia severity and functional impairment. However, when both were entered together into regression equations, only behavioral disturbance contributed to caregiver burden. Of the problem behaviors, measures of disinhibition contributed most to caregiver burden. These data further our understanding of the multiple contributors to caregiver burden. We conclude that both patient awareness of memory deficit and behavioral disturbance impact caregiver burden, with behavioral disturbance making the greater contribution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Butler Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island 02906, USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rymer
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salloway
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Malloy
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Correia
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Monast
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D001364:Awareness; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged