Abstract
Caring for persons with Alzheimer's disease can be an extremely difficult experience. To date, there has been a lack of research into the role of intermediary variables in the relationship between caregiver personality and psychosocial functioning. The growing numbers of dementia patients worldwide mean that more people are involved in their care, making research into this area a pressing concern. Both a caregiver's personality and personal resources play a key role in their capacity to cope with stressful situations. In order to determine how personal resources moderate the relationship between personality and burden of care, a total of 100 caregivers of Alzheimer's patients (78 women and 22 men) were asked to complete a set of questionnaires to assess personality, personal resources (sense of coherence, generalized self-efficacy, and perceived social support), as well as their levels of stress, depression, and commitment to care. Structural equation modeling and latent growth analysis suggest that personal resources explain the mechanisms underlying burden of care and moderate its relationship with personality. Our findings indicate that personal resources are a critical predictor of burden of care. Therefore, caregivers must be provided with appropriate support, taking into account their resources and personality profiles.
Highlights
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, degenerative disease of the nervous system with many negative consequences
To meet our research aims, we selected the relatively more significant personal resources and factors related to caregiver burden: sense of coherence, perceived social support, and generalized sense of self-efficacy
Our results confirm that there is a relationship between the Big Five personality dimensions and sense of mental and social burden in the caregivers of AD patients
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, degenerative disease of the nervous system with many negative consequences It involves cognitive and functional impairment, gradual loss of memory, and behavioral and neuropsychiatric disturbances, which together lead to a significant decline in the ability to perform routine daily activities [1, 2]. It is associated with significant suffering in both patients and their caregivers. The associated changes to one’s life alongside the need to give up some, if not all, of one’s previous activities, needs, and expectations in order to care for the patient may lead to a significant feeling of burden in caregivers [18]. A greater sense of responsibility for the patient is associated with a reduced quality of care, leading to neglect, abuse, reluctance, and premature institutionalization [19, 20]
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