title: Racial and ethnic differences in psychotropic medication use among community-dwelling persons with dementia in the United States.
abstract: Little is known about the patterns of psychotropic medication use in community-dwelling minority persons with dementia (PWD). The purpose of this study was to investigate racial/ethnic differences in psychotropic medication use across a diverse population of community-dwelling PWD and to examine the extent to which caregiver characteristics influence this use.
  
  
  
  Data were drawn from the baseline assessment of the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health II trial. Generalized linear models were used to identify racial/ethnic differences in psychotropic medication use. Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) model selection was used to evaluate possible explanations for observed differences across racial/ethnic group.
  
  
  
  Differences in anxiolytic and antipsychotic medication use were observed across racial/ethnic groups; however, race/ethnicity alone was not sufficient to explain those differences. Perceptions of caregiving and caregiver socioeconomic status were important predictors of anxiolytic use while PWD characteristics, including cognitive impairment, functional impairment, problem behavior frequency, pain, relationship to the caregiver, sex, and age were important for antipsychotic use.
  
  
  
  Racial/ethnic differences in psychotropic medication use among community-dwelling PWD cannot be explained by race/ethnicity alone. The importance of caregiver characteristics in predicting anxiolytic medication use suggest that interventions aimed at caregivers may hold promise as an effective alternative to pharmacotherapy.
authors.affiliation: a Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health , School of Public Health, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA.
authors.forename: Elsie L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Grace
authors.affiliation: b Alabama Research Institute on Aging and Department of Psychology , University of Alabama , Tuscaloosa , AL , USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca S
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2563-4996
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: b Alabama Research Institute on Aging and Department of Psychology , University of Alabama , Tuscaloosa , AL , USA.
authors.forename: Keisha
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ivey
authors.affiliation: c Statistics Consulting Lab , Bio5 Institute, University of Arizona , Tucson , AZ , USA.
authors.forename: Shannon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.affiliation: d Burgio Geriatric Consulting , Tuscaloosa , AL , USA.
authors.forename: Louis D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Burgio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003704:Dementia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents
keywords: Dementia; community-dwelling; psychotropic medications; race/ethnicity