Comorbid psychosocial symptoms and quality of life in patients with dementia.
OBJECTIVE
The authors examined the association between treatable comorbid psychosocial symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in patients with dementia. In an effort to develop a more comprehensive understanding of this relationship, this study included both patient reports of their QOL and caregiver reports of patient QOL.


METHODS
Eighty-nine dyads, consisting of a community-residing veteran with dementia and his family caregiver, were interviewed once to determine the correlation between patient QOL and depression, functional disability, pain, and agitation.


RESULTS
Higher patient-rated QOL was significantly associated with lower patient depression. Higher caregiver-rated patient QOL was associated with lower caregiver depression and higher patient functional status. Agitation was not related to patient-rated or caregiver-rated patient QOL.


CONCLUSIONS
Authors discuss the psychometric and conceptual implications of possible differences between self- and other-ratings of QOL, and treatment implications for caregiver-education interventions.
Snow
A Lynn
AL
Houston Center For Quality of Care and Utilization Studies, Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA. asnow@bcm.tmc.edu
Dani
Radhika
R
Souchek
Julianne
J
Sullivan
Greer
G
Ashton
Carol M
CM
Kunik
Mark E
ME
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013781:Texas; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*