Centre for Policy on Ageing



Behaviour disturbance and other predictors of carer burden in Alzheimer's disease
Author(s)	Robert F Coen, Gregory R J Swanwick, Ciaran A O'Boyle
Journal title	International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 12, no 3,, March 1997
Pages	pp 331-336
Keywords	Behaviour disorders ; Dementia ; Stress ; Informal care ; Social surveys ; Ireland.
Annotation	An urban hospital memory clinic in Ireland was the setting for this study of the relationship of 50 Alzheimer's disease patients (age range 60-87) and their primary carers (age range 31-84), on variables of carer burden. Psychological tests were used which assessed cognitive functioning, mental status, dysfunction and disturbed behaviour, and instrumental and personal activities of daily living. Daughters were particularly prone to burden. Neither patient cognitive nor functional status predicted burden. Behaviour disturbance in particular, and informal support were significant, but independent, predictors of carer burden. In this study, increased carer burden was related independently to increased levels of patient behaviour disturbance and decreased levels of informal social support. This may be relevant in finding appropriate interventions for carers. The authors suggest replicating this study using a less highly selected sample.
Accession Number	CPA-970807225 A
Classmark	EP: EA: QNH: P6: 3F: 763
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.