title: [Factors associated with dementia caregivers' preference for institutional care].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prevalence of dementia is growing in Spain, and so is the number of caregivers who are considering the institutionalization of their relatives. The purpose of this study is to identify which variables are associated with caregivers' desire for institutionalization their dementia relatives.
  
  
  METHODS
  Informal caregivers of 243 individuals suffering from dementia were interviewed. Predisposing variables (sociodemographic and contextual variables), stressors (dementia-related and caregiving-related aspects), appraisals (of circumstances and caregivers' role), resources (personal and community-based resources) and the desire to institutionalize were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over half of the caregivers (52.6%) indicated that they had some desire to institutionalize their relatives with dementia. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that caregivers' consideration to institutionalize was associated with being a male caregiver, not being the spouse of the dementia patient, and with a higher consideration and higher use of community-based formal resources (short-term nursing home use, adult day care centres and psycho-stimulation).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Assessing and using formal resources outside their homes help caregivers overcome barriers that keep them from considering the institutionalization of their relatives. The difficulty in considering institutionalizing their relatives is more evident among spouses, who have stronger attachments with the dementia patients, especially among females, who probably feel obliged to continue developing caregiver roles because of their gender.
authors.affiliation: Universidad San Pablo CEU, Boadilla del Monte, Madrid, España. jlopezm@ceu.es
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Losada
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Romero-Moreno
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Márquez-González
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martínez-Martín
mesh_terms: D032721:Adult Children / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D001290:Attitude; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003631:Day Care, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003704:Dementia; D004644:Emotions; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006295:Health Resources / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology