Are all caregivers created equal? Stress in caregivers to adults with and without dementia.
OBJECTIVE
Caregiving for older adults is stressful; however, by treating caregivers as a homogenous group, it is possible that stress-related factors are misrepresented for some. This study of 349 elderly caregivers explored mediators of the caregiving / stress relationship for caregivers to adults with (n = 106), and without (n = 243) dementia.


METHODS
The sample was from the Caregiver Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (CG-SOF), ancillary to SOF, a four-site cohort of 9,704 women.


RESULTS
Stress was higher (p < .001) in dementia than nondementia caregivers (m = 19.85; 16.45). For caregivers overall, intensity and recipient problems were associated with stress but mediated through role captivity. However, relationships differed when stratified by recipient dementia status. Only recipient problems among nondementia caregivers was mediated through captivity.


CONCLUSIONS
Results confirm previous findings of lower stress among nondementia caregivers and suggest that different factors influence caregivers' appraisal of the situation, including their perception of stress, based on recipients' dementia status.
Bertrand
Rosanna M
RM
Boston University School of Public Health, USA.
Fredman
Lisa
L
Saczynski
Jane
J
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003704:Dementia; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014481:United States