title: The burden of distress and related coping processes in family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease living in the community.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many patients with dementia live in the community and depend on a family member for assistance. Taking care of non-self-sufficient people such as those with dementia causes distress. This study concerns factors contributing to feelings of burden and consequent coping strategies adopted by family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease living in the community.
  
  
  METHODS
  The severity of the caregiver burden (Caregiver Burden Inventory and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Caregiver Distress Scale) was evaluated in relation to the cognitive, behavioral, functional, mood, motor and comorbidity status in 73 consecutive patients with Alzheimer's disease. The type of coping processes (Coping Orientation to Problem Experienced), and psychosocial and medical variables of caregivers were also investigated and correlated with the degree of their distress.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The amount of burden for caregivers, was found to be positively correlated with several measures of cognitive, psychological, behavioral, and motor impairment of the patients. The severity of caregiver distress was correlated with specific coping strategies, such as seeking for social support, using avoidance behaviors and focusing on problems. Finally, caregivers needing higher levels of familial and/or social support had also higher levels of distress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher cognitive, psychological, behavioral, and motor impairment of patients with Alzheimer's disease are associated with increasing levels of burden and distress in their caregivers, who need to adopt adequate coping strategies and to seek for familial and social support.
authors: Unit of Neurology, G.B. Morgagni - L. Pierantoni Hospital, Forlì, Italy. Electronic address: alberto.raggi@auslromagna.it.
authors: Alberto
authors: A
authors: Raggi
authors: Department of Neurology, Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Troina, Italy.
authors: Domenica
authors: D
authors: Tasca
authors: Department of Neurology, Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Troina, Italy.
authors: Simonetta
authors: S
authors: Panerai
authors: Unit of Neurology, G.B. Morgagni - L. Pierantoni Hospital, Forlì, Italy.
authors: Walter
authors: W
authors: Neri
authors: Department of Neurology, Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Troina, Italy.
authors: Raffaele
authors: R
authors: Ferri
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000451:nursing*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Caregiver; Coping strategy; Dementia; Feeling of burden; Social support