title: Risk of Cognitive and Functional Impairment in Spouses of People With Dementia: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study.
abstract: Caring for a spouse with dementia is a chronic stressor that may compromise caregivers' own cognitive functioning and capacity to provide adequate care. We examined whether having (i) a spouse with dementia and (ii) a spouse who requires assistance with activities of daily living predicted cognitive and functional impairments in respondents to the Health and Retirement Study (n = 7965). Respondents who had a spouse who requires care had poorer cognitive functioning, whereby this relationship was significantly stronger for male respondents. Having a spouse with dementia moderated the relationship between income and cognition and predicted caregiver functional impairment, though not when depression was controlled. Although we found no significant differences on any individual cognitive domains between 179 dementia caregivers and sociodemographically matched noncaregivers, our findings suggest that caregivers, especially men, and low-income individuals who have a spouse with dementia are more vulnerable to adverse cognitive outcomes. Targeting depression in spouses of people with dementia may help to prevent functional impairments.
authors.affiliation: Neuro-Enhancement for Independent Lives (NEIL) Programme, School of Psychology, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland maria.pertl@tcd.ie.
authors.forename: Maria M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Pertl
authors.affiliation: Neuro-Enhancement for Independent Lives (NEIL) Programme, School of Medicine, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Lawlor
authors.affiliation: Neuro-Enhancement for Independent Lives (NEIL) Programme, School of Psychology, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: Ian H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Cathal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.affiliation: Neuro-Enhancement for Independent Lives (NEIL) Programme, School of Psychology, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brennan
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012179:Retirement / Q000191:economics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: activities of daily living; caregiver burden; cognitive impairment; dementia; depression; stress