Structural equation model linking dementia cognitive functioning, caregiver mental health, burden, and quality of informal care in Argentina.

The purpose of this study was to create a path model linking cognitive functioning in individuals with dementia, caregiver burden and mental health, and quality of care provided for the individual with dementia in Argentina. One hundred and two dementia caregivers from San Lucas, Argentina completed questionnaires assessing these constructs. Regressions found that caregiver burden, depression, anxiety, and satisfaction with life explained 18.8% of the variance in quality of care-respect and 14.7% of the variance in quality of care-provide. A structural equation model with generally adequate fit indices uncovered that cognitive functioning in individuals with dementia was inversely associated with caregiver burden, caregiver burden was inversely associated with mental health, and mental health was positively associated with quality of care. Further, patient cognitive functioning yielded a significant indirect effect on caregiver mental health through caregiver burden, as did burden on quality of care through mental health. Despite this negative cascade, these relationships may also be reversed with the development and use of dementia caregiver interventions that improve caregiver burden and mental health and as a result, the quality of care for individuals with dementia in Latin America.

Family Dynamics and Personal Strengths among Dementia Caregivers in Argentina.

This study examined whether healthier family dynamics were associated with higher personal strengths of resilience, sense of coherence, and optimism among dementia caregivers in Argentina. Caregivers are usually required to assist individuals with dementia, and family members have typically fulfilled that role. Personal strengths such as resilience, sense of coherence, and optimism have been shown to protect caregivers from some of the negative experiences of providing care, though the family-related variables associated with these personal strengths are largely unknown. Hierarchical multiple regressions investigated the extent to which family dynamics variables are associated with each of the caregiver personal strengths after controlling for demographic and caregiver characteristics. A sample of 105 caregivers from Argentina completed a set of questionnaires during a neurologist visit. Family dynamics explained 32% of the variance in resilience and 39% of the variance in sense of coherence. Greater family empathy and decreased family problems were uniquely associated with higher resilience. Greater communication and decreased family problems were uniquely associated with higher sense of coherence. Optimism was not found to be significantly associated with family dynamics. These results suggest that caregiver intervention research focused on the family may help improve caregiver personal strengths in Argentina and other Latin American countries.

Beyond Strain: Personal Strengths and Mental Health of Mexican and Argentinean Dementia Caregivers.

INTRODUCTION: Life expectancy is increasing in Latin America resulting in the need for more family caregivers for older adults with dementia. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationships between personal strengths (optimism, sense of coherence [SOC], and resilience) and the mental health of dementia caregivers from Latin America. METHOD: Primary family dementia caregivers (n = 127) were identified via convenience sampling at the Instituto de Neurociencias de San Lucas, Argentina, and CETYS University, in Baja California, Mexico and completed measures of these constructs. FINDINGS: Personal strengths explained between 32% and 50% of the variance in caregiver mental health. In a series of hierarchical multiple regressions, more manageability (ß = -.38, p = .001), general resilience (ß = -.24, p = .012), and social competence (ß = -.21, p = .034) were uniquely associated with lower depression. Greater comprehensibility (ß = -.28, p = .008) was uniquely associated with decreased burden, and manageability was marginally related (ß = -.21, p< .10). Greater optimism (ß = .37, p< .001) and manageability (ß = .27, p = .004) were uniquely associated with increased life satisfaction. DISCUSSION: The personal strengths of caregivers in Latin America may be particularly important for their mental health because of the culturally imbedded sense of duty toward older family members. IMPLICATIONS: Incorporating strengths-based approaches into research on caregiver interventions in regions where caregiving is a highly culturally valued role such as Latin America may have the potential to improve the mental health of dementia caregivers.

Personal Strengths and Health Related Quality of Life in Dementia Caregivers from Latin America.

The research literature has begun to demonstrate associations between personal strengths and enhanced psychosocial functioning of dementia caregivers, but these relationships have not been examined in the context of dementia caregivers in Latin America. The present study examined whether personal strengths, including resilience, optimism, and sense of coherence, were associated with mental and physical health related quality of life (HRQOL) in 130 dementia caregivers in Mexico and Argentina. Structural equation modeling found that the personal strengths collectively accounted for 58.4% of the variance in caregiver mental HRQOL, and resilience, sense of coherence, and optimism each had unique effects. In comparison, the personal strengths together accounted for 8.9% of the variance in caregiver physical HRQOL, and only sense of coherence yielded a unique effect. These results underscore the need to construct and disseminate empirically supported interventions based in part on important personal strengths, particularly sense of coherence, for this underrepresented group.

Examining the influence of family dynamics on quality of care by informal caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's dementia in Argentina.

PURPOSE: This study examined the pattern of family dynamics of Argentinian individuals with dementia that most heavily influences the quality of care provided by family caregivers (CGs). METHOD: One hundred and two CGs of individuals with Alzheimer's disease in Argentina participated in this study. The majority (75%) were female, with an average age of 57.8 years (standard deviation = 13.5) and had spent a median of 48 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 36.00-60.00) providing care to their family member with dementia, devoting a median of 60 hours (IQR: 50.00-80.00) per week to these duties. Caregivers completed Spanish versions of instruments assessing their family dynamics and quality-of-care provision. RESULTS: Hierarchical regression analyses suggested that higher quality of informal care (Provide and Respect) was related to greater levels of empathy and reduced levels of overall dysfunction in CGs' families. Higher quality of care-Provide was also related to shorter duration of time (in months) spent providing care. CONCLUSION: Dementia CG interventions in Latino populations would likely benefit from addressing difficulties experienced when providing care for a prolonged period of time, as well as programming or techniques to improve family dynamics, especially family empathy and general functioning, given the strong reciprocal influence of these factors on CG quality of care.