Caregiver self-efficacy for managing behavioural problems of older people with dementia in Taiwan correlates with care receivers' behavioural problems.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between family caregivers' self-efficacy for managing behavioural problems of older people with dementia and their behavioural problems in Taiwan.


BACKGROUND
Older people with dementia commonly have at least one behavioural problem, which caregivers complain is difficult to handle. To provide interventions that can help caregivers more effectively manage the behavioural problems of care receivers with dementia, caregivers' self-efficacy on managing behavioural problems must be assessed. However, it is not clear yet how these behavioural problems of older people with dementia may influence caregivers' self-efficacy for managing behavioural problems.


METHODS
A prospective, correlational study.


METHODS
Eighty dyads of older people with dementia and their family caregivers were recruited from neurological clinics of a medical centre in Taiwan. Care receivers were assessed for behavioural problems using the Chinese version of Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, community form. Caregivers' self-efficacy for managing care receivers' agitation was measured by the research team-developed Agitation Management Self-Efficacy Scale.


RESULTS
Caregiver self-efficacy for managing behavioural problems was significantly and positively associated with more caregiver education, greater duration of caregiving and with care receivers' less physically non-aggressive behaviours. When caregiver characteristics were controlled for in hierarchical regression analysis, physically non-aggressive behaviours explained 6% of the variance in caregiver self-efficacy.


CONCLUSIONS
Results of this study contradict the general belief that physically aggressive behaviours of elders with dementia are more difficult for family caregivers to handle than other behavioural problems. Clinicians need to address physically non-aggressive problem behaviours.


CONCLUSIONS
Nurses could assess older patients with dementia for physically non-aggressive behaviours and train less educated caregivers to improve their self-efficacy for managing problem behaviours, thus enhancing the quality of life for both caregivers and care receivers.
Huang
Huei-Ling
HL
School of Nursing, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Shyu
Yea-Ing Lotus
YI
Chen
Sien-Tsong
ST
Hsu
Wen-Chuin
WC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers; D003704:Dementia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013624:Taiwan