Caregiver's distress related to the patient's neuropsychiatric symptoms as a function of the care-setting.
Prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and correlation between its intensity and caregiver distress were evaluated as a function of the care-setting in a cross-sectional study including 72 patient-caregiver dyads. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory and the Caregiver Distress Scale were administered. The most prevalent symptoms were: in the formal care-setting, agitation/aggression and depression/dysphoria (42.4%), and in the informal care-setting, aberrant motor behavior (59.0%). While changes in appetite and eating behaviors, depression/dysphoria and irritability/lability were more prevalent in the formal care-setting (p < .0001, p = .011, p = .021), aberrant motor behavior was more prevalent in the informal care-setting (p = .007). NPS were positively correlated with caregiver distress. High patients' scores in hallucinations, sleep and night-time disturbances, anxiety, and aberrant motor behavior were the best predictors of professional caregiver's distress. Agitation/aggression, delusions, disinhibition, apathy/indifference, depression/dysphoria, and elation/euphoria were the best predictors of informal caregiver's distress. Findings may have important clinical implications.
Gerontology Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña (CHUAC), SERGAS, Universidade da Coruña, 15006 A Coruña, Spain.
Laura
L
Lorenzo-López
Research, Development and Innovation Department, Gerontological Complex La Milagrosa, Provincial Association of Pensioners and Retired People (UDP) from A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain.
Carmen
C
de Labra
Gerontology Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña (CHUAC), SERGAS, Universidade da Coruña, 15006 A Coruña, Spain.
Ana
A
Maseda
Research, Development and Innovation Department, Gerontological Complex La Milagrosa, Provincial Association of Pensioners and Retired People (UDP) from A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain.
Trinidad
T
Lorenzo
Gerontology Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña (CHUAC), SERGAS, Universidade da Coruña, 15006 A Coruña, Spain.
Helena
H
Agrafojo
Gerontology Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña (CHUAC), SERGAS, Universidade da Coruña, 15006 A Coruña, Spain.
José Luis
JL
Rodríguez-Villamil
Gerontology Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña (CHUAC), SERGAS, Universidade da Coruña, 15006 A Coruña, Spain.
Isabel
I
González-Abraldes
Gerontology Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña (CHUAC), SERGAS, Universidade da Coruña, 15006 A Coruña, Spain. Electronic address: jcmillan@udc.es.
José C
JC
Millán-Calenti
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000374:Aggression; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003702:Delusions / Q000209:etiology; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*
Care-setting; Caregiver distress; Institutionalized elderly people; Neuropsychiatric symptoms