CARERS KNOWLEDGE OF DEMENTIA, THEIR COPING STRATEGIES AND MORBIDITY

Objective. The main hypothesis was that carers of dementia sufferers w ho have a higher level of knowledge on the subject of dementia have lo wer rates of physical and psychological morbidity. We also wanted to e xamine whether a carer's level of knowledge bears any relation to thei r attributional style and coping mechanisms. Design. Informal carers, caring for patients who fulfilled the CAMDEX criteria for mild or mode rate dementia, were approached to participate in the study. Setting. O ld age psychiatry services in the West Midlands and Bristol. Participa nts. Informal carers, caring for relatives with dementia. Measures. Tr ained researchers administered the Geriatric Mental State Schedule, th e Dementia Knowledge Questionnaire, the Pennebaker Inventory of Limbic Languidness (an inventory of common physical symptoms) and the Carer Stress Scale. Results. More knowledgeable carers experienced significa ntly lower levels of depression but also higher rates of anxiety. Care rs' level of knowledge on the subject of dementia showed no associatio n with their physical health. More knowledgeable carers were more like ly to have 'reduced expectations' of their dependants' abilities and m ake 'positive comparisons'; they were also more likely to feel compete nt and confident as carergivers, Conclusion. The findings support the main hypothesis when considering carers' rates of depression but not w hen considering rates of anxiety or physical ill-health. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.