Centre for Policy on Ageing



Investigating the effects of communication problems on caregiver burden
Author(s)	Marie Y Savundranayagam, Mary Lee Hummert, Rhonda J V Montgomery
Journal title	Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, vol 60B, no 1, January 2005
Pages	pp S48-S55
Source	http://www.geron.org
Keywords	Communication difficulties ; Dementia ; Informal care ; Stress ; Evaluation ; United States of America.
Annotation	A scale on communication problems associated with dementia was developed and administered to 89 family caregivers. Participants also completed measures of care recipient cognitive and functional status, problem behaviour, and caregiver burden (demand, stress, and objective burden). Analysis using structural equation modelling showed that care recipient cognitive and functional status indirectly predicted problem behaviour via communication problems. The status indicators also directly predicted demand burden. In addition, problem behaviour mediated the relationship between communication problems and all forms of burden. The study findings not only lend further support to the existing literature that has documented problem behaviour as strong predictors of burden, but also emphasise the importance of communication problems in the caregiving process. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-050505214 A
Classmark	EC: EA: P6: QNH: 4C: 7T
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.