Objective: To assess the impact of providing care on caregivers of persons with dementia, in a variety of countries and cultures.
Design: Cross-sectional multi-centre study within the framework of the 10/66 Dementia Research Group, with participation of 24 centres in developing countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, India, and South East Asia.
Materials and Methods: Seven hundred caregivers of persons with mild to moderate dementia living in the community were included. Impact of caregiving was assessed with the Zarit Burden Interview and psychological distress with the General Health Questionnaire.
Results: The majority of caregivers across all regions were women, co-residents with the person with dementia, and their mean age was 54 years. All of the people with dementia lived in their own homes, and most lived with at least three other people. The majority were women. Caregivers of 18 out of 24 centres had mean ZBI scores between 23 and 37. Proportion of probable GHQ cases varied from 33% to 97%. ZBI scores were associated with cognitive functioning, severity of dementia, behavioural symptoms, carers’ GHQ score, time spent with the person with dementia, and centre.
Conclusion: Caregiving throughout the developing world is associated with high levels of perceived strain, broadly comparable with those recorded in Europe and EUA.
Back to S028 The 10/66 Dementia Research Group – Dementia in Developing Countries
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