Abstract 10070: All Caregivers Are Not Alike: Stress, Caregiving Effort, and Self-Care in Heart Failure and Dementia Caregivers

Abstract

Introduction: Caregiving for someone with a chronic condition is stressful. Deferring self-care is common among caregivers but little is known about differences among various caregiver groups. The aim of this study was to compare stress, self-care, and self-care confidence in two groups of caregivers. Methods: We compared baseline data from two groups of caregivers (HF and frontotemporal dementia [FTD]) enrolled in an on-going study of an intervention designed to decrease stress and improve self-care. Eligible participants had to report caregiving ≥8 hours/week and neglect of ≥2 self-care behaviors (e.g., adequate sleep). Stress was measured with the Perceived Stress Scale (14 items, 5-point scale, higher score means higher stress). Self-care was measured with the Self-Care Inventory with embedded scales measuring self-care maintenance, monitoring, management, and confidence (30 items, 5-point scale, higher scores mean better self-care). Each self-care scale is standardized 0-100; ≥70 reflects adequate self-care. Baseline data prior to the intervention were compared. Results: Compared to HF caregivers, the FTD caregivers were significantly more likely to be Caucasian (87.1% vs. 60.9%), male (25.8% vs. 14.3%), married to the patient (98.8% vs. 72.5%), and older (64.8±10.1 vs. 54.4±15.1) years. The FTD caregivers had been caregiving for fewer years (5.1±3.7 vs. 7.3±8.6) but their daily caregiving effort was higher (Table). Stress levels did not differ significantly and self-care was poor in both groups. Self-care confidence was higher in HF than FTD caregivers. Conclusions: Although caregiving effort was higher in FTD caregivers, stress levels were comparable and self-care was poor in both HF and FTD groups. Understanding the source of the stress, barriers to self-care, and the factors that promote self-care confidence are important for developing and testing tailored interventions to promote self-care of caregivers.