Factors of Resilience in Informal Caregivers of People with Dementia from Integrative International Data Analysis.
Although caring for a person with dementia can be stressful, some caregivers appear to experience few negative consequences to their well-being. This study aimed to examine what proportion of caregivers demonstrates resilience under different challenging circumstances and to identify factors related to their resilience.



Baseline data from 4 studies from the Netherlands and UK among informal caregivers of people with dementia were harmonized and integrated. Caregiver resilience was defined as high levels of psychological well-being despite different types of high caregiving demands. Multivariate regression analyses identified factors significantly related to caregiver resilience.



The integrated data set included 15 harmonized variables with data from 1,048 caregivers facing a high care demand. The prevalence of resilience varied between 35 and 43%, depending on the demand for high care. Being a male caregiver, caring for a female, living apart from your relative, and low caregiver burden were positively related to caregiver resilience.



Caregivers have the capacity to demonstrate resilience despite significant challenges. This study demonstrates how harmonization of data from multiple existing studies can be used to increase power and explore the consistency of findings. This contributes to a better understanding of which factors are likely to facilitate caregiver resilience and offers insights for developing services.
Bangor University, Bangor, UK; VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Karlijn J
KJ
Joling
Gill
G
Windle
Rose-Marie
RM
Dröes
Franka
F
Meiland
Hein P J
HP
van Hout
Janet
J
MacNeil Vroomen
Peter M
PM
van de Ven
Esmé
E
Moniz-Cook
Bob
B
Woods
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D006113:United Kingdom