Maggio Maria Grazia, La Rosa Gianluca, Calatozzo Patrizia, Andaloro Adriana, Foti Cuzzola Marilena, Cannavò Antonino, Militi David, Manuli Alfredo, Oddo Valentina, Pioggia Giovanni, Calabrò Rocco Salvatore
Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Science, The University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
AOU Policlinico Gaetano Martino, 98125 Messina, Italy.
J Clin Med. 2021 Dec 18;10(24):5953. doi: 10.3390/jcm10245953.
COVID-19 has caused a public and international health emergency, leading to isolation and social distancing. These restrictions have had a significant impact on the caregivers of people with dementia, increasing the burden of patient management. The purpose of this study was to investigate the stress perceived by caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) during the pandemic. We used a cross-sectional survey design to evaluate the caregivers' psychological responses and coping strategies. Eighty-four caregivers of patients with a diagnosis of AD were involved in this study by completing an online questionnaire. They presented a high perception of stress (the Perceived Stress Scale mean ± DS: 33.5 ± 4.5), and their high burden in caring was mainly related to physical difficulties (Caregiver Burden Inventory-Physical Burden mean ± DS: 15.0 ± 2.1) and perception of loss of time (Caregiver Burden Inventory-Time-dependence Burden mean ± DS: 16.5 ± 1.4). Moreover, caregivers perceived their quality of life as very low (Short Form-12 Health Survey Physical mean ± DS: 13.5 ± 2.7; Short Form-12 Health Survey Mental Health mean ± DS: 16.4 ± 4.2). Finally, we found that participants mostly used dysfunctional coping strategies, such as avoidance strategies (Coping Orientation to Problem Experiences-Avoidance Strategies mean ± DS: 39.5 ± 7.1), but these strategies did not affect the stress level of caregivers. Given that caregivers present a high burden and stress, innovative tools could be a valuable solution to investigate and support their emotional and behavioral status during difficult periods, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
新冠疫情引发了一场公共卫生和国际卫生紧急事件，导致人们采取隔离措施并保持社交距离。这些限制措施对痴呆症患者的照护者产生了重大影响，增加了患者管理的负担。本研究的目的是调查在疫情期间阿尔茨海默病（AD）患者照护者所感受到的压力。我们采用横断面调查设计来评估照护者的心理反应和应对策略。84名确诊为AD患者的照护者通过完成一份在线问卷参与了本研究。他们表现出较高的压力感知（感知压力量表均值±标准差：33.5±4.5），并且他们在照护方面的高负担主要与身体困难（照护者负担量表-身体负担均值±标准差：15.0±2.1）以及时间丧失感（照护者负担量表-时间依赖负担均值±标准差：16.5±1.4）有关。此外，照护者认为他们的生活质量非常低（简明健康调查量表-身体部分均值±标准差：13.5±2.7；简明健康调查量表-心理健康部分均值±标准差：16.4±4.2）。最后，我们发现参与者大多采用功能失调的应对策略，例如回避策略（问题体验应对取向-回避策略均值±标准差：39.5±7.1），但这些策略并未影响照护者的压力水平。鉴于照护者面临着高负担和压力，创新工具可能是一种有价值的解决方案，用于在困难时期，如新冠疫情期间，调查和支持他们的情绪和行为状态。
