Influence of caregivers' psychological well-being on the anxiety and depression of care recipients with dementia

This study was conducted to examine how caregivers' psychological well-being influences the anxiety or depression of care recipients with dementia. A secondary data analysis was conducted using 666 dyads of older adults with dementia and their caregivers. The odds that care recipients with dementia would experience anxiety increased when caregivers had a negative relationship with care recipients (OR = 1.22, p = 0.042), lower perception of the positive aspects of caregiving (OR = 0.86, p = 0.047), or anxiety (OR = 2.41, p = 0.036). The odds that care recipients with dementia would experience depression increased when care-givers had a greater perception of the negative aspects of caregiving (OR = 1.15, p = 0.023) or anxiety (OR = 2.21, p = 0.045). Since care recipients with dementia and their caregivers spend considerable time together daily, caregivers' psychological well-being can impact care recipients' anxiety and depression.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Automated summary

This study examines the impact of caregivers' psychological well-being on the anxiety and depression of care recipients with dementia. The results show that when caregivers have a negative relationship with care recipients, a lower perception of the positive aspects of caregiving, or anxiety, care recipients are more likely to experience anxiety. Additionally, when caregivers have a greater perception of the negative aspects of caregiving or anxiety, care recipients are more likely to experience depression.