Vulnerability of husband and wife caregivers of Alzheimer disease patientsto caregiving stressors

This study assessed relationships between problem behaviors in 199 Alzheime r Disease patients and vulnerability factors in the well being and emotiona l health of their spouse caregivers. Among caregiver wives and the younger caregiver husbands (64 years old and under) the volume of patient problem b ehavior was significantly negatively associated with total scores on a summ ary well being measure. The association was not found within the older husb and caregiver group. Considering five subdimensions of the summary well bei ng scale (Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, Positive Well Being, Vitality and G eneral Health), correlational analyses showed that the total patient proble ms measure appeared to have impact primarily among wife caregivers, particu larly those 64 years old and under. Multiple regression analyses showed tha t one patient problem behavior category, Emotional Lability, was the single strongest predictor of impaired well being of the caregiver among all five subdimensions of the caregiver well being measure. Although Destructive Be havior of the patient was not significant by itself, an Age by Destructive Behavior interaction showed that high levels of patient Destructive Behavio r predicted high levels of Depression, Anxiety, and low levels of Positive Well Being more among younger caregivers. Husband caregivers had significan tly higher Anxiety scores than wife caregivers. These findings document how particular patient problem behaviors can affect caregivers. They point up as well how both gender and age may help target which caregivers are most v ulnerable to the stress of specific Alzheimer patient behavior problems. Th ey also suggest the utility of examining specific dimensions of well being rather than a total score alone for purposes of understanding the relations hip of particular patient behavior problems to caregiver emotional and phys ical health.