Dementia Unit, Department of Neurology, Bellvitge University Hospital, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain.
Health, Aging and Disability Research Group, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2017 Dec;32(12):e72-e82. doi: 10.1002/gps.4656. Epub 2017 Jan 23.
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.
本研究旨在识别三组照料者的临床特征：配偶、同住成年子女或非同住成年子女，以及他们与感知负担程度的关系（照料者负担访谈）。
该样本包括 275 名阿尔茨海默病的主要照料者，随访时间为 24 个月。对痴呆患者进行认知、功能和行为特征评估，同时对照料者进行社会人口学数据、社会医疗资源使用、身心健康和自我感知负担评估。采用广义估计方程进行纵向数据分析。
配偶照料者中男性占 45.0%，他们是主要照料者（>80%），使用的外部资源较少，身体健康状况较差。女性成年子女照料者的数量较多（>75%）。与非同住成年子女组相比，同住成年子女组更不可能已婚，教育程度较低，更可能是唯一的照料者，使用的外部资源较少。同住成年子女照料者的负担最大，非同住成年子女组的负担最小，两组在随访过程中均无显著变化。配偶的感知负担处于中等水平，但在随访过程中显著增加（p<0.001）。
与痴呆患者的亲属关系和共同居住与负担的不同评分和演变相关，随着配偶随访时间的延长，负担显著增加（p<0.001），而在成年子女组中，共同居住会增加或减轻负担，这取决于是否共同居住。减轻照料者负担的干预措施应考虑这些差异。
