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Factors associated with the variability in caregiver assessments of the capacities of the patients with Alzheimer"s disease
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Abstract Background: Several studies have identified certain caregiver factors that can produce variability in their assessments of the capacities of patients with Alzheimer"s disease (AD). Objectives: To identify the caregiver variables associated with variability in their ratings of patients" capacities. Methods: Consecutive sample of 221 out-patients with AD and their family caregivers. The capacities evaluated by caregivers were: the degree of functional disability, using the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD); psychological and behavioral symptoms, via the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI); anosognosia, with the Anosognosia Questionnaire Dementia (AQ-D); and quality of life, using the Quality of Life in AD (QOL-AD). The relationship between these measures and caregiver gender, burden, depression, and health was analyzed by means of a bivariate analysis, calculating the effect size (Cohen"s d), and subsequently by a regression analysis, calculating the contribution coefficient (CC). Results: The greatest variability in caregiver assessments was observed in relation to patients with early-stage dementia, where caregiver burden was the main factor associated with a more negative evaluation (d = 1.02 to 1.25). Depression in the caregiver was associated with less variability and only in the assessments of patients with moderate dementia (d = 0.38 to 0.69). In the regression analysis, caregiver factors were associated with greater variance in scores on the NPI (CC = 37.4%) and QOL-AD (CC = 27.2%), and lower variance in AQ-D (CC = 21.6%) and DAD (CC = 10.3%) scores. Conclusions: Caregiver burden and depression were associated with more negative assessments of patients" psychological and behavioral symptoms and quality of life. Key words: Alzheimer"s disease, family caregivers, functional capacity, neuropsychiatric symptoms, anosognosia, quality of life.
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CONDE SALA, Josep Lluís, et al. Factors associated with the variability in caregiver assessments of the capacities of the patients with Alzheimer"s disease. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology. 2013. Vol. 26, num. 2, pags. 86-94. ISSN 0891-9887. [consulted: 11 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/59011