Abstract
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.
Highlights
The 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
A routine assessment had been conducted for all dyads, which involved staging their condition with the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR; Hughes et al, 1982), and scoring their neuropsychiatric symptoms with the NeuroPsychiatric Inventory (NPI), which was completed by their caregivers
Concerning any changes in the BPSD of People with dementia (PwD), no significant differences emerged, neither between their total NPI scores at the baseline and during lockdown (Z = −0.50; p = 0.61), nor when each of the symptoms included in the NPI were considered
Summary
The 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. Caring for a person with dementia can cause severe psychological morbidity, stress, and emotional burden in family caregivers (Pinquart and Sörensen, 2003). Studies assessing the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in community-dwelling people with PwD, and on their family caregivers’ distress have suggested a worsening of BPSD in PwD under lockdown restrictions with their agitation, apathy, and depression emerging as the most affected symptoms (Cagnin et al, 2020; Canevelli et al, 2020; Lara et al, 2020). Caregivers reported feeling a greater emotional burden (Cohen et al, 2020) and psychological stress (Cagnin et al, 2020), with worsening levels of anxiety, helplessness, irritability and depression (Cagnin et al, 2020)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
