title: The association between positive-negative reactions of informal caregivers of people with dementia and health outcomes in eight European countries: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the associations between positive and negative reactions of informal caregivers of people with dementia and health outcomes across eight European Countries.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Caring for someone with dementia may have implications for the caregiver's own health and for the care recipient. These consequences could be associated with caregivers' reactions to the process of care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Association study based on cross-sectional data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were people with dementia and their informal caregivers living at home or in long-term care institutions. Data were collected between November 2010-April 2012 using the Caregiver Reaction Assessment (with dimensions of self-esteem, lack of family support, financial problems, disrupted schedule and health problems) and associations were sought with informal caregiver burden, quality of life and psychological well-being and with dementia sufferers' neuropsychiatric symptoms, comorbidity and dependency in activities of daily living using correlation coefficients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data from 2014 participants were used. Variability across countries was noted, as well as differences between care at home and in long-term care institutions. In general, self-esteem and lack of family support correlated with caregiver burden and psychological well-being. Associations were also found between disrupted schedule and caregiver burden, psychological well-being and quality of life. Health problems were clearly associated with caregiver burden, psychological well-being and quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Study results support links between the reactions of informal caregivers of people with dementia and health outcomes. These may have implications in terms of how services are addressed.
authors.affiliation: CAP Comte Borrell, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M Carme
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Alvira
authors.affiliation: Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ester
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Risco
authors.affiliation: University Pompeu Fabra, School TecnoCampus, Mataró, Spain.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farré
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ingalill
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rahm Hallberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services Research, CAPHRI, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Michel H C
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Bleijlevens
authors.affiliation: Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Health and Nursing Science, Germany.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koskenniemi
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, University Hospital of Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Adelaida
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zabalegui
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing*; D005060:Europe; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: caregiving; dementia; home care; informal caregiver; nursing home; positive and negative reactions