4.5 Article

Longitudinal effect of dementia carers' sense of coherence on burden

Journal

Publisher

WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/gps.5784

Keywords

Alzheimer's disease; burden interview; caregiver; dementia; longitudinal studies; sense of coherence

Funding

  1. Applied Research Collaboration East of England
  2. National Institute of Health Research UK
  3. Alzheimer's Society
  4. European Union ERDF
  5. Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness
  6. National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation [20132016]
  7. National Program for Research aimed at the Challenges of Society
  8. Carlos III Institute of Health

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This study reports evidence of the effect of sense of coherence (SOC) on burden reports in relatives of persons with dementia. The findings suggest that caregivers with higher SOC experience lower burden levels throughout the follow-up, whereas those with lower SOC report greater burden at each visit.
Background: A sense of coherence (SOC) could help us better understand why there are individuals who cope better than others in similar situations. The study aimed to assess the effect of SOC on the course of burden reports in relatives of persons with dementia. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of 156 dementia carers. The SOC was assessed by the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ-13), burden by Burden Interview, and personal and contextual characteristics were collected via ad hoc questions. The main dementia symptoms, including functional difficulties (Disability Assessment for Dementia), neuropsychiatric symptoms (Neuropsychiatric Inventory), and cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination), were also assessed. A general linear model was adjusted to determine the effect of SOC and other covariates on burden throughout the follow-up. Burden differences between baseline and 12 and 24 months were analysed, and the baseline OLQ-13 score was grouped by quartiles. Results: The global burden reported increased after 24 months (F = 9.98; df = 2; p < 0.001), but not equally for all carers; daughters reported the greatest increase. SOC, functional disability, and neuropsychiatric disorders showed a significant effect on burden, but time did not. Carers with higher SOC at baseline tend to remain with lower burden levels, whereas carers with low SOC reported higher burden at each visit. Conclusions: This study reports evidence of the effect of SOC on burden at baseline, 12 and 24 months of follow-up. Burden scores differ by carers' SOC; those with higher SOC showed lower burden levels, whereas the low-SOC group reported a greater burden at each visit.

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