title: Kinship and cohabitation in relation to caregiver burden in the context of Alzheimer's disease: a 24-month longitudinal study.
abstract: The aims of the study were to identify the clinical characteristics of three groups of caregivers: spouses, live-in adult-child or non-live-in adult-child, and their relation to the degree of perceived burden (Caregiver Burden Interview).
  
  
  
  The sample comprised 275 Alzheimer's disease primary caregivers, with a follow-up of 24 months. Cognitive, functional and behavioural characteristics were evaluated in persons with dementia, whilst sociodemographic data, use of socio-medical resources, physical and mental health and self-perceived burden were assessed in caregivers. Generalized estimating equations were used for longitudinal data analysis.
  
  
  
  Spouse caregivers were 45.0% men, sole caregivers (>80%), used few external resources and had worse physical health. The number of female adult-child caregivers was higher (>75%). The live-in adult-child group, compared with the non-live-in adult-child group, was less likely to be married, had a lower level of education, was more commonly the sole caregiver and used fewer external resources. The greatest burden was observed in live-in adult-child caregivers, and the lowest in the non-live-in adult-child group, with no significant variation in the follow-up for both groups. Spouses had an intermediate level of perceived burden, which rose significantly during follow-up (p < 0.001).
  
  
  
  Kinship and cohabitation with the persons with dementia were associated with different scores and evolution of the burden, with an increase in the follow-up of the spouses, and with more or less burden, depending on cohabitation, in the adult-child groups. Interventions to reduce the level of burden on caregivers should consider these differences. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Dementia Unit, Department of Neurology, Bellvitge University Hospital, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Vanesa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Viñas-Diez
authors.affiliation: Health, Aging and Disability Research Group, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Catalonia, Spain.|Department of Neurology, Institut d'Assistència Sanitària-Institut Català de Salut de Girona, Salt, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Oriol
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Turró-Garriga
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Portellano-Ortiz
authors.affiliation: Dementia Unit, Department of Neurology, Bellvitge University Hospital, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gascón-Bayarri
authors.affiliation: Dementia Unit, Department of Neurology, Bellvitge University Hospital, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reñé-Ramírez
authors.affiliation: Health, Aging and Disability Research Group, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Catalonia, Spain.|Department of Medical Sciences, University of Girona, Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garre-Olmo
authors.affiliation: Health, Aging and Disability Research Group, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Catalonia, Spain.|Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Josep Lluís
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Conde-Sala
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; burden; cohabitation; family caregivers; kinship