Predicting the burden of family caregivers from their individual characteristics

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Mike K. P. So ◽  
Helina Yuk ◽  
Agnes Tiwari ◽  
Sam T. Y. Cheung ◽  
Amanda M. Y. Chu
Keyword(s):  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Individual Characteristics

scholarly journals Caring for People With Dementia Under COVID-19 Restrictions: A Pilot Study on Family Caregivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Carbone ◽  
Rocco Palumbo ◽  
Alberto Di Domenico ◽  
Silvia Vettor ◽  
Giorgio Pavan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Care Recipients ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Emotional Loneliness

IntroductionThe present pilot study examined to what extent the COVID-19 lockdown affected the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in people with dementia and worsened their family caregivers’ distress. The associations between changes in the BPSD of relatives with dementia (RwD) and in their caregivers’ distress, and sense of social and emotional loneliness, and resilience were also investigated.Materials and MethodsThirty-five caregivers of RwD attending formal healthcare services before the COVID-19 lockdown volunteered for the study, and were interviewed by phone during the lockdown. Caregivers completed the NeuroPsychiatric Inventory (NPI) to assess their care recipients’ BPSD and their own distress, and two questionnaires assessing their social and emotional loneliness, and their resilience.ResultsNo clear changes emerged in either the BPSD of the RwD or the caregivers’ distress during lockdown compared with before the pandemic. Caregivers reporting more frequent and severe BPSD in their RwD before the lockdown scored higher on emotional loneliness. Those reporting more frequent and severe BPSD under lockdown, especially men and those taking care of RwD with more advanced dementia, scored higher on both social and emotional loneliness. A significant negative correlation also emerged between caregivers’ resilience and changes in their level of distress due to the lockdown, with female caregivers reporting greater resilience.DiscussionOur findings offer preliminary insight on the effects of loneliness and resilience, and on the influence of individual characteristics on the experience and consequences of informal caregiving for RwD in times of restrictions imposed by a pandemic.

Psychosocial correlates of nutritional status of family caregivers of persons with dementia

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laetitia Rullier ◽  
Alexia Lagarde ◽  
Jean Bouisson ◽  
Valérie Bergua ◽  
Marion Torres ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Mini Nutritional Assessment ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Nutritional Risk ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Integrative View

ABSTRACTBackground:This exploratory study investigated the associations of individual characteristics of both persons with dementia and family caregivers with the nutritional status of caregivers.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted at home by psychogerontologist within the frame of a community gerontological center in rural areas of south west France. The study participants comprised 56 community-dwelling persons with dementia (mean 80.7 years, SD 6.5) and 56 family caregivers (mean 70.9 years, SD 11.0). Persons with dementia were assessed with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Basic Activities Of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental ADL (IADL), and NeuroPsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and family caregivers with the Burden Interview (Zarit scale), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI Y-B), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the emotional impact measure of NPI and the Autonomy, Gerontology and Group Resources scale (AGGIR scale). For both, nutritional status was evaluated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA®).Results:Among family caregivers, 32.1% were at risk of malnutrition and 5.4% were malnourished, and among people with dementia, 58.9% and 23.2%, respectively. NPI severity score of apathy of persons with dementia (Beta = −0.342, p = 0.001), dependency on AGGIR scale (Beta = −0.336, p = 0.002), and CES-D score of caregivers (Beta = −0.365, p = 0.001) were associated with caregivers’ MNA score (Adjusted R2 = 0.480, p < 0.001).Conclusion:These preliminary findings emphasize the need for routine assessment of depressive symptoms, functional and nutritional status in dementia family caregivers, and confirm the value of investigating caregivers’ nutritional risk through an integrative view including psychosocial approach.

The Influence of Language Context on Repetitive Speech Use in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 327-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Gladfelter ◽  
Cassidy VanZuiden
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Social Responsiveness ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Language Context

Purpose Although repetitive speech is a hallmark characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the contributing factors that influence repetitive speech use remain unknown. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if the language context impacts the amount and type of repetitive speech produced by children with ASD. Method As part of a broader word-learning study, 11 school-age children with ASD participated in two different language contexts: storytelling and play. Previously collected language samples were transcribed and coded for four types of repetitive speech: immediate echolalia, delayed echolalia, verbal stereotypy, and vocal stereotypy. The rates and proportions of repetitive speech were compared across the two language contexts using Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests. Individual characteristics were further explored using Spearman correlations. Results The children produced lower rates of repetitive speech during the storytelling context than the play-based context. Only immediate echolalia differed between the two contexts based on rate and approached significance based on proportion, with more immediate echolalia produced in the play-based context than in the storytelling context. There were no significant correlations between repetitive speech and measures of social responsiveness, expressive or receptive vocabulary, or nonverbal intelligence. Conclusions The children with ASD produced less immediate echolalia in the storytelling context than in the play-based context. Immediate echolalia use was not related to social skills, vocabulary, or nonverbal IQ scores. These findings offer valuable insights into better understanding repetitive speech use in children with ASD.

Working With Family Caregivers of Dementia Patients

ASHA Leader ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (16) ◽  
pp. 25-25
Author(s):  
Rosemary Lubinski
Keyword(s):  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Dementia Patients

Goal Attainment and Treatment Compliance in a Cognitive-Behavioral Telephone Intervention for Family Caregivers of Persons with Dementia

GeroPsych ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele Wilz ◽  
Denise Schinköthe ◽  
Renate Soellner
Keyword(s):  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Goal Attainment ◽  
Outcome Measurement ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Treatment Success ◽  
Treatment Compliance ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Telephone Intervention ◽  
Effective Interventions

Introduction: The evaluation of effective interventions is still needed to prevent family caregivers of persons with dementia from becoming physically or mentally ill. However, in most existing intervention studies, primary outcomes are not well matched to the treatment goals. Method: A randomized controlled trial (N = 229) was conducted to compare a treatment group (CBT), a treated control group, and an untreated control group. In theses analyses we focused on the primary outcome measurement (GAS) as a perceived treatment success as well as treatment compliance and participants’ evaluation. Results: Results showed that 30.1% achieved complete goal attainment, 39.8% partial goal attainment, and 24.1% declared no change (overachievement 2.4%; deterioration 3.6%). Discussion: The intervention can be considered to have been successful.

Predicting Stock Market Performance

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Thomas Plieger ◽  
Thomas Grünhage ◽  
Éilish Duke ◽  
Martin Reuter
Keyword(s):  
Stock Market ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Price Volatility ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Financial Behavior ◽  
Market Simulation ◽  
Stock Market Performance ◽  
Risk Taking Behavior

Abstract. Gender and personality traits influence risk proneness in the context of financial decisions. However, most studies on this topic have relied on either self-report data or on artificial measures of financial risk-taking behavior. Our study aimed to identify relevant trading behaviors and personal characteristics related to trading success. N = 108 Caucasians took part in a three-week stock market simulation paradigm, in which they traded shares of eight fictional companies that differed in issue price, volatility, and outcome. Participants also completed questionnaires measuring personality, risk-taking behavior, and life stress. Our model showed that being male and scoring high on self-directedness led to more risky financial behavior, which in turn positively predicted success in the stock market simulation. The total model explained 39% of the variance in trading success, indicating a role for other factors in influencing trading behavior. Future studies should try to enrich our model to get a more accurate impression of the associations between individual characteristics and financially successful behavior in context of stock trading.

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