P-918 - Personality and psychological adjustment in caregivers

Abstract

Caring to a dependent person can suppose a risk for the caregiver's psychological health (Pinquart & Sorensen, 2003). This risk is clarified by the individual differences in personality (Hooker, Frazier y Monahan, 1994). They are stable although non-definitive personal characteristics, and their variability in efficiency depends on context (Millon, 1994). The processes involved in caregivers’ adaptation can facilitate or not a good general psychological adjustment (Limiñana, Corbalán & Calvo, 2009). To explore which caregiver's characteristics predict a better psychological adjustment. To discriminate what characteristic of which is considered suitable to care of others contribute to caregiver's better functioning. 205 family and formal caregivers (mean age = 39.8; SD = 14.03; 83% formal caregivers) completed the Millon Index of Personality Styles (Millon, 1994), that assess normal personality and offers a Clinical Index, to evaluate psychological adjustment; and the CUIDA (Bermejo et al., 2008), a questionnaire of the adequate affective and cognitive variables to offer a good care of to others. Multiple linear stepwise regression was carried on. Caregiver characteristics related to Independence and Altruism explained worse psychological adjustment, whereas Self-steem, Sociability and Emotional balance explained better personal adjustment ( R 2 = .596; F = 7.466, p < .001). Some personal characteristics that could be important for caregiving could not facilitate a good psychological adjustment in some caregiving contexts. Personal adaptation, as defined here, depends on context.