Rymer Susan, Salloway Stephen, Norton Lauren, Malloy Paul, Correia Stephen, Monast Diane
Department of Neurology, Butler Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island 02906, USA.
Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2002 Oct-Dec;16(4):248-53. doi: 10.1097/00002093-200210000-00006.
Caregiver burden, the stress experienced as a result of caregiving, is determined by many factors. This study examined the contributions of the patient's awareness of memory deficit and behavioral disturbance to caregiver burden in Alzheimer disease. Participants were 41 patients with Alzheimer disease and their caregivers. Dementia severity, functional impairment, awareness of memory deficit, and behavioral disturbance were measured and examined in relation to caregiver burden. Positive correlations were found between caregiver burden and both impaired awareness of memory deficit and behavioral disturbance. Regression analyses demonstrated that both impaired patient awareness of memory deficit and behavioral disturbance contributed to caregiver burden over and above dementia severity and functional impairment. However, when both were entered together into regression equations, only behavioral disturbance contributed to caregiver burden. Of the problem behaviors, measures of disinhibition contributed most to caregiver burden. These data further our understanding of the multiple contributors to caregiver burden. We conclude that both patient awareness of memory deficit and behavioral disturbance impact caregiver burden, with behavioral disturbance making the greater contribution.
照料者负担，即因照料而产生的压力，由多种因素决定。本研究探讨了阿尔茨海默病患者对记忆缺陷和行为障碍的认知对照料者负担的影响。研究对象为41例阿尔茨海默病患者及其照料者。测量并考察了痴呆严重程度、功能损害、对记忆缺陷的认知以及行为障碍与照料者负担之间的关系。结果发现，照料者负担与对记忆缺陷的认知受损以及行为障碍均呈正相关。回归分析表明，患者对记忆缺陷的认知受损和行为障碍均独立于痴呆严重程度和功能损害，对照料者负担有显著影响。然而，当二者同时纳入回归方程时，只有行为障碍对照料者负担有显著影响。在问题行为中，脱抑制行为对照料者负担的影响最大。这些数据加深了我们对导致照料者负担的多种因素的理解。我们得出结论，患者对记忆缺陷的认知和行为障碍均会影响照料者负担，其中行为障碍的影响更大。
