The indirect effect of positive aspects of caregiving on the relationship between cognitive decline and dementia caregiver burden

Background

Research has linked increased cognitive decline in a dementia care recipient to worsening caregiver burden, but the presence of positive aspects of caregiving is associated with better outcomes. As cognitive decline worsens, a lack of positive caregiving experiences could lead to burden for the caregiver. This study investigated relationships among dementia caregiver burden, cognitive decline, and positive aspects of caregiving in dementia, predicting an indirect effect of positive aspects of caregiving.

Methods

Data from 724 patients of an outpatient memory clinic in Ohio were examined and dyads included based on clinically supported patient diagnoses on the dementia spectrum. Caregivers completed the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and Positive Aspects of Caregiving (PAC) measures. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Mini-Mental State Examination were used to estimate cognitive decline, standardized to create a single variable. Multiple potential covariates were considered for inclusion in the model. A cross-sectional mediation analysis using the Hayes PROCESS macro explored the presence of an indirect effect of PAC on the relationship between cognitive decline and ZBI using 5000 bootstrap samples.

Results

Only the potential covariate caregiver age was correlated with any of the primary variables; this variable was controlled in analyses. Significant relationships emerged between cognitive decline and ZBI (r = −0.12, P < 0.001), between PAC and ZBI (r = −0.23, P < 0.001), and between cognitive decline and PAC (r = −0.07, P < 0.05). An indirect effect of positive aspects of caregiving on the relationship between cognitive decline and ZBI was statistically significant (B = 0.0092, 95% bias-corrected confidence interval: 0.0008, 0.0185), accounting for 14.4% of the variance in the model.

Conclusions

A lack of positive aspects of caregiving could be partially responsible for development of dementia caregiver burden as cognitive decline worsens. Longitudinal examination of these relationships is needed to understand causality fully. Findings may help healthcare providers tailor treatment to alleviate caregiver burden.