P1: Coping strategies used by caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

Introduction: Coping strategies are intentional, cognitive, and behavioral actions aimed at controlling the negative impact of a stressful event or situation.

Objectives: The Objectives of this study was to evaluate the coping strategies used by caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and the development of strategies to reduce dysfunctional behaviors by patients.

Methods: The sample for this study included 33 caregiver-patient dyads diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Data were collected at the Alzheimer’s Disease Center - ADC, at the Institute of Psychiatry of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Patients were assessed for cognition, quality of life, disease awareness, functionality, and depression. Caregivers were assessed for coping, resilience, depression, anxiety, burden, and locus of control. Caregivers also provided information about mood, neuropsychiatric symptoms, severity of decline, activities of daily living, and quality of life of the patients.

Results: 82% of caregivers were female, with a mean age of 56.36 (SD = 14.31). Caregivers showed high levels of resilience, with an average score of 141.9 (SD = 12.54), moderate level of coping strategies 66.55 (SD = 12.86), moderate level of locus of control 67.4 (SD = 10.3), moderate level of burden 37.61 (SD = 18.1), low level of anxiety .64 (SD = 5.91), and low level of depressive symptoms 8.91 (SD = 8.30). Patients had a mean age of 74 years (SD = 9.4) and 54.5% of patients were male. Patients had an average score of 18.45 on cognition assessment, 60% had mild dementia, low depression index 9.48 (SD = 5.75), moderate levels of neuropsychiatric symptoms 26.45 (SD = 23.63), partially compromised disease awareness 10.8 (SD = 5.31), and high quality of life indices 33.21 (SD = 5.8). The results show a positive correlation between coping strategies and clinical variables. The use of coping strategies associated with high levels of resilience and locus of control may have contributed to the low levels of anxiety, depression, and burden among caregivers.

Conclusions: Coping strategies focused on emotion seem to be more effective for patients with mild dementia, while problem-focused coping strategies yielded better results for patients with moderate dementia.