Abstract
BACKGROUND: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has devastating effects on patients and caregivers, yet the factors underlying caregiver stress are poorly understood.
METHODS: 108 caregivers (79 = FTD, 29 = Alzheimer's disease) participated in a postal survey. Self-report measures of perceived stress, depression, social networks, as well as patient-based measures of behaviour change and activities of daily living were completed.
RESULTS: Depression was a cardinal feature in FTD caregivers, and it accounted for more than 58% of stress scores. Both depression and stress were significantly higher than in AD. Neither the severity of behaviour changes nor functional disability explained caregiver stress.
CONCLUSION: Caregiver stress is a multidimensional construct, and FTD caregivers should receive more support than currently available. Depression plays a key role in coping ability.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 76-81 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Activities of Daily Living
- Aged
- Alzheimer Disease/psychology
- Behavior/physiology
- Caregivers/psychology
- Dementia/psychology
- Depression/psychology
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Psychometrics
- Sex Factors
- Social Support
- Stress, Psychological/psychology