a Department of Psychiatry , Rhode Island Hospital , Providence , RI , USA ; Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior , Alpert Medical School of Brown University , Providence , RI , USA.
Aging Ment Health. 2018 Sep;22(9):1156-1161. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2017.1337718. Epub 2017 Jun 12.
Previous literature has examined burden and depression predominately as unitary constructs in relation to dementia caregiving. No studies thus far have examined gender differences in the specific components of burden and depression in dementia caregivers. The current study examined whether empirically validated dimensions of caregiver burden differed by gender for dementia caregivers.
The sample consisted of 211 dementia caregivers enrolled in a longitudinal intervention study. Only baseline functioning was evaluated in this study. Levels of burden were assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), and levels of depression were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).
Factor analysis revealed three facets of burden: impact of caregiving on the caregivers' lives, guilt, and frustration/embarrassment, and four facets of depression: depressed affect, somatic activity, positive affect, and interpersonal feelings. Overall burden (p < .001) and impact of caregiving on the caregivers' life (p < .001) were significantly higher in females. Overall levels of depression (p = .018), somatic and retarded activity (p = .018), depressed affect (p = .005), and positive affect (p = .012) were significantly higher in females.
Findings suggest that distressed male and female dementia caregivers experience caregiving differently. Results from this study could be used to identify gender-specific interventions related to subtypes of burden and depression to optimize quality of life for caregivers.
以往的文献主要将负担和抑郁作为与痴呆症护理相关的单一结构进行了研究。迄今为止，尚无研究探讨痴呆症护理者负担和抑郁的具体组成部分在性别上的差异。本研究旨在探讨在痴呆症护理者中，护理负担的实证验证维度是否存在性别差异。
该样本由 211 名参与纵向干预研究的痴呆症护理者组成。本研究仅评估了基线功能。使用 Zarit 负担访谈 (ZBI) 评估负担水平，使用流行病学研究中心抑郁量表 (CES-D) 评估抑郁水平。
因子分析显示负担有三个方面：照顾对护理者生活的影响、内疚和挫折/尴尬，抑郁有四个方面：抑郁情绪、躯体活动、积极情绪和人际关系。女性的总体负担（p<0.001）和对护理者生活的影响（p<0.001）显著更高。女性的总体抑郁水平（p=0.018）、躯体和迟缓活动（p=0.018）、抑郁情绪（p=0.005）和积极情绪（p=0.012）显著更高。
研究结果表明，苦恼的男性和女性痴呆症护理者在照顾方面的体验不同。本研究的结果可用于确定与负担和抑郁亚型相关的特定于性别的干预措施，以优化护理者的生活质量。
