Towards a comprehensive psychosocial profile of the family caregiver of people with dementia.

Background: The profile of caregivers focuses on socio-demographic variables (age, gender, kinship, and educational level). However, buffer variables (e.g., dysfunctional thoughts) and indicators of the impacts of caregiving (e.g., stress) are often overlooked.

Objective: The study aims to offer a comprehensive view of the profile of the family caregiver of people with dementia by considering aspects contemplated in theoretical explanatory models of care.

Methods: It was based on a cross-sectional design. Socio-demographic and care-related characteristics and variables of the consequences of caregiving and related buffers were evaluated for 40 family caregivers of people with dementia. The Short form of Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R-25), the Leisure Time Satisfaction Survey (LTS), the Revised Scale for Caregiving Self-Efficacy (RSCSE), the Escala de Habilidades Sociales (EHS), the Psychosocial Support Questionnaire (PSQ), the Cuestionario de Pensamientos Disfuncionales (CPD), the Caregiver Burden Interview (CBI), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment-AGE (WHOQOL-AGE) were utilized. Descriptions of the variables and contrast tests (chi-square tests, t-tests, and two-factor ANOVAs) were made and used to compare the differences according to gender and kinship.

Results: Family caregivers are women, typically around 60 years old, wives or daughters, married, with primary/secondary education, who spend long hours caring with little support. They presented a low level of social and problem-solving skills, received little social support, had low self-efficacy and quality of life, highly dysfunctional thoughts, overload, depressive symptomatology, and stress. Significant differences were found according to kinship in educational level, employment status, hours per day dedicated to care time, and contemplating placing the person in a nursing home. Significant differences by kinship were also found in self-efficacy for responding to disruptive behaviors, perceived social support, and stress. Spouses have lower levels of this type of self-efficacy and have higher levels of stress but perceive greater social support. Males have higher levels of dysfunctional thoughts.

Conclusion: This study facilitates the identification of the specific needs of caregivers, to provide them with individualized interventions. Spouses and offspring present different needs and therefore interventions should be different.