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American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias®, Vol. 20, No. 5, 273-280 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/153331750502000505

Subjective appraisal of Alzheimer's disease caregiving: The role of self-efficacy and depressive symptoms in the experience of burden

Judith G. Gonyea, PhD

School of Social Work, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.

Maureen O’Connor, PsyD

Anastasia Carruth, MPH

Alzheimer's Disease Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.

Patricia A. Boyle, PhD

Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University, Chicago, Illinois.

Most studies investigating correlates of Alzheimer's disease (AD) caregiver burden have focused on the role of objective factors as opposed to subjective factors. Although objective variables (e.g., caregiver age, patient dementia severity, functional status) have been shown to be significantly associated with burden, the correlations generally are modest and explain relatively little of the variability in caregiver outcomes. Moreover, many of these objective variables are not modifiable and are of limited use in the development of caregiver interventions. Thus, there continues to be a need to identify powerful and modifiable determinants of caregiver burden. This study examined the role of two subjective factors—self-efficacy and depressive symptoms—as predictors of AD caregiver burden. Based on a sample of 80 AD caregivers, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that self-efficacy and depressive symptoms each had a significant independent effect on the experience of burden even after accounting for objective factors. These findings suggest that caregiver interventions aimed to reduce burden may benefit from the incorporation of specific strategies to increase self-efficacy and decrease depressive symptoms.

Key Words: caregiver burden • subjective factors • self-efficacy • depressive symptoms • Alzheimer's disease


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