AUTHOR=Huang Wen-Chien , Chang Ming-Che , Wang Wen-Fu , Jhang Kai-Ming 

TITLE=A Comparison of Caregiver Burden for Different Types of Dementia: An 18-Month Retrospective Cohort Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.798315

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.798315

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Objectives: The aims of the present study were to elucidate the influence of dementia etiologies on the degree of caregiver burden and to determine which factors predict a high caregiving burden.

Methods: This 18-month retrospective cohort study enrolled 630 patients and their caregivers from the dementia center of Changhua Christian Hospital. The care team performed face-to-face interviews about every 6 months, for 18 months from when a diagnosis of dementia was made. The main outcome was the change in Zarit burden interview (ZBI) scores. Generalized estimating equations were used for the longitudinal data analysis.

Results: Participants with Lewy body disease (LBD) had significantly higher caregiving burden compared with those with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (ß=3.83±1.47, Wald=6.79, p=0.009) after adjusting for patient and caregiver features. Caregivers of mixed type dementia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) experienced greater burden compared with caregivers of AD, at 6- and 18-months follow up. Patients with more severe dementia, neuropsychiatric symptoms, being cared for by more than two caregivers or utilizing social resources, were associated with higher ZBI scores; the caregiver’s depressive mood also predicted higher ZBI scores.

Conclusions: This longitudinal study demonstrated that caregiver burden was influenced by the etiology of the patient’s underlying dementia. The dementia care team should provide personalized education and transfer patients and caregivers to appropriate resources, especially for those in the high risk population.