Caregivers and non‐caregivers attitudes regarding pre‐symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease testing

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundOver the past decade there has been increasing testing of biomarkers and new methods of presymptomatic screening for Alzheimer disease (AD). But still, there is little known about the beliefs of patients and family caregivers regarding testing in Greece. The aim of this study is to assess the attitudes, barriers and motivations to pre‐symptomatic AD testing, among older adults with and without an experience of AD caregiving.MethodA total sample of 213 participants (Caregivers, N = 96 and Non‐Caregivers, N = 117) answered the ‘’Perceptions regarding pre‐symptomatic dementia testing” (Pre‐dem) questionnaire. Most participants were females (N = 179) and were 41‐50 (N = 56) and 51‐60 (N = 55) years old.ResultA two‐sample t‐test was performed to compare the four domains in caregivers and non‐caregivers and there was no significant difference, and also compare with and without a family history of AD and there was not a significant difference in perceived harms of testing, perceived benefits of testing, and need of knowledge. There was a significant difference in acceptance of testing between participants with a history of AD (M = 4.67, SD = 3.86) and non‐history (M = 6.83, SD = 4.33); t(211) = ‐3.75, p = 0.00. A one‐way ANOVA was conducted to compare the four domains with the years of care (1‐3, 3‐5, and more than 5 years). There were no significant differences between the domains and the years of care. Finally, a one‐way ANOVA was conducted to compare the four domains with the age of the first diagnosis of the relative or friend of the caregiver (51‐55, 56‐60, 61‐65, 66‐70 and 70+). There were no significant differences between the domains and the age that the relative/friend was diagnosed.ConclusionThis is the first study that assessed the attitudes towards dementia and genetic screening of Greek older adults with and without an experience of dementia caregiving. Both participants had similar beliefs regarding the pre‐symptomatic dementia testing, except for the acceptance of testing in participants with and without a family history of AD. There is a need for more information, education and empowerment of the caregivers regarding dementia screening but also the general public.