title: Caregiver burden in mild cognitive impairment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to compare the rates of burden amongst caregivers of participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), compared to a control group. We also aimed to identify factors in both the caregiver and patient that are associated with significant levels of burden.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study. Sixty-four participants with MCI, 36 control-participants and their respective caregivers/informants were recruited to a university research clinic. The proportion of those who showed clinically significant levels of burden was determined by a Zarit Burden Interview score of >21. The associations of burden in MCI-caregivers were calculated in the following categories; participant characteristics (including depressive symptoms, cognition and informant ratings of cognitive and behavioural change); caregiver characteristics; and the caregiving context. Multivariate analyses were performed to examine the relative contribution of individual variables to burden amongst MCI-caregivers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that 36% of MCI-caregivers reported clinically significant levels of burden, twice that of the control informant group. Participant behavioural problems contribute most to burden, with participant depression and possibly cognition also having a significant association.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Caregiver burden is a considerable problem in MCI and shares some of the same characteristics as caregiver burden in dementia, namely a strong association with challenging behaviours in the patient. This has implications for further research and intervention studies.
authors.affiliation: a Brain & Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney , Camperdown , Australia.
authors.forename: Matt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paradise
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McCade
authors.forename: Ian B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Hickie
authors.forename: Keri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Diamond
authors.forename: Simon J G
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Sharon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Naismith
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: burden; caregivers; depression; mild cognitive impairment