Assessment of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia by family caregivers.
This study was designed to test the performance and related factors of a self-administered instrument in assessing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) by family caregivers. We recruited 173 patients with dementia and major caregivers from two neurological clinics. Information about clinical diagnosis, the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), the Dementia Behavior Disturbance Inventory (DBDI), and global caregivers' strain were collected from interview and chart review. We found that DBDI has acceptable construct validity and good internal consistency reliability. BPSD was more frequently found in patients with advanced dementia, poor cognitive function and highly correlated to caregivers' strain. Multivariate analysis revealed that female patients and caregivers, advanced CDR stages, patient-caregiver relationship, types of dementia and MMSE score were related to the increase of frequency and disturbance index of DBDI. We concluded that BPSD could be evaluated by family caregivers using a self-administered instrument. Further study is indicated to clarify how caregiver characteristics affect the report of behavioral symptoms, and its clinical importance.
Kwok
Yam-Ting
YT
Department of Neurology, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Nan-Ya S. Rd., Sec.2 Pan-Chiao, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Chen
Chin-Ying
CY
Chiu
Ming-Jang
MJ
Tang
Li-Yu
LY
Leung
Kai-Kuen
KK
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires