DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS OF ALZHEIMER CAREGIVERS ARE MAINLY DUE TO PERSONAL RATHER THAN PATIENT FACTORS

Objectives. To investigate the predictors of caregiver's depressive sy mptoms in a sample of community-dwelling Alzheimer's patients. Design. A cross-sectional study was conducted in an Alzheimer's unit specific ally devoted to the care of demented patients in Brescia Province (Ita ly). One hundred and three dyads were consecutively recruited between July 1994 and July 1995. Caregivers were sons/daughters (65%) or husba nds/wives; mean age was 54.6 +/- 13.2. Alzheimer's patients Mini Menta l State Examination score was 11.3 +/- 8.3; patients were equally dist ributed among disease severity levels. The following variables have be en collected: (a) background and context variables (caregiver's age, g ender, marital status, education, relationship and cohabitation with t he patient, employment status, satisfaction with household income); (b ) caregiver's personal resources (health, social relationships and soc ial interactions, formal supports use, and self-rated adequacy of perf ormance as caregivers); (c) objective burden indicators (number of dai ly hours for assistance and vigilance); (d) primary stressors (patient 's age and gender, cognitive status, functional status, frequency of b ehavioural disturbances). Caregiver's depressive symptoms represented the main outcome measure. Results. Being husband or wife, low self-rat ed health and caregiving competence, high numbers of hours for assista nce and patient's behavioural disturbances and younger age were associ ated with caregiver's depressive symptoms. With multivariate analysis only relationship to the patient, caregiver's health and competence we re independent predictors of caregiver's depressive symptoms. Conclusi on. Factors related to the caregiver-relationship, health and competen ce-rather than to the patient constitute the main risk factors for car egiver's depressive symptomatology. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.