ORCID Profile
0000-0002-5171-0534
Current Organisation
The University of Edinburgh
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Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 18-04-2022
DOI: 10.1177/08919887221093359
Abstract: Existing interventions for family carers of people with dementia tend to be less effective for anxiety than for depression. Therefore, identifying factors affecting carer anxiety is important to inform future interventions. This study conducted 2 multiple regression analyses using a s le of 91 family carers. The first regression model ( ∆R 2 = .24), exploring the impact of demographic variables and carer stressors, demonstrated that hours of caring ( β = .33) and overall sleep quality ( β = .28) were significant predictors of anxiety. To further investigate the impact of sleep quality, the second model ( ∆R 2 = .24) focussed on exploring the differential impact of various components of sleep quality on anxiety. Findings demonstrated that subjective sleep quality ( β = .33) and sleep disturbances ( β = .22) were significant predictors. Hours of caring per week, subjective sleep quality and sleep disturbances seem to be critical for treating anxiety in family carers. Future studies should investigate whether targeting these variables could improve carer anxiety.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 09-02-2023
DOI: 10.1177/07334648231156858
Abstract: Anxiety remains understudied in family carers of people with dementia. Understanding factors that moderate the relationship between stressors and anxiety symptoms in this population is critical to inform interventions. This study examined whether generic experiential avoidance (AAQ-II) and experiential avoidance specific to caregiving-related thoughts and feelings (EACQ) moderate the relationship between subjective burden (ZBI-12) and anxiety symptoms (GAD-7) in carers of people with dementia. The first model ( R 2 = .66, ∆R 2 = .03) exploring the moderating effect of AAQ-II demonstrated a significant interaction term between AAQ-II and subjective burden. The second model ( R 2 = .53, ∆R 2 = .03), exploring the moderating effect of EACQ, demonstrated a significant interaction term between EACQ and subjective burden. These results provide evidence that carers with higher levels of experiential avoidance may be particularly prone to the negative effect of subjective burden on anxiety symptoms. Clinical implications for assessment of experiential avoidance and its treatment in carers of people with dementia are discussed.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 12-05-2020
Abstract: This meta-analysis aimed to (1) quantitatively synthesize evidence of factors related to the quality of life (QoL) of family carers of people with dementia and (2) explore moderating factors that may influence the strength of the relationship between such potential predictive factors and carer QoL. Studies that investigated correlations between patient/carer factors and QoL in unpaid family carers of people with dementia and were published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or Japanese were included. Thirty-three studies were identified. The pooled correlations with carer QoL (effect size) were significantly large for depression (−0.58), significantly moderate for subjective burden (−0.47), and significantly small for people with dementia’s neuropsychiatric symptoms (−0.24). These results indicated to be robust in the context of publication bias. The results of subgroup analyses demonstrated the social and economic development status of the country where study participants resided did not moderate these effects. Carer depression, subjective burden, and people with dementia’s neuropsychiatric symptoms may play a critical role in maintaining QoL of family carers regardless of the social and economic circumstances.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 29-06-2022
DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2022.2093926
Abstract: The role of anxiety on the quality of life of family carers of people with dementia is somewhat neglected in the carer literature. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of common risk factors (i.e., care recipient's neuropsychiatric symptoms, carer depression, and burden) and anxiety on QoL. This cross-sectional study recruited 89 family carers. Most of the participants were looking after a spouse with Alzheimer's or mixed dementia. A multiple regression analysis was conducted with carer QoL as a dependent variable. All risk factors (i.e., people with dementia's neuropsychiatric symptoms, carer depression, anxiety, and burden) were entered into the model simultaneously as independent variables. The model's R2 was 33%. The results demonstrated that anxiety was the only significant independent variable predicting carer QoL (β = - 0.34, p = 0.03, 95% CI: - 0.64 to - 0.04). These results indicated that having more symptoms of anxiety was associated with worse QoL as measured by the ICEpop CAPability measure for Older people (ICECAP-O). These findings suggested that improving carer's anxiety may be particularly important in promoting QoL among family carers of people with dementia. Future interventions should target this variable to achieve the desired result of improving carer QoL.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 22-08-2021
DOI: 10.1111/HSC.13552
Abstract: The current study aimed to identify the educational and support needs of family carers of people with dementia in the early stages of dementia by employing a qualitative approach with retrospective semi-structured interviews with family carers of people in the later stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Semi-structured in idual interviews were conducted via telephone or Microsoft Teams video call. Purposive s ling was used to recruit twelve family carers of people with moderate or severe AD. An interview guide was used to explore the retrospective views of the carer's educational and support needs in the early stages of AD. The interviews were audio-recorded transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Three overarching themes were identified. Theme 1 highlighted that family carers experienced frequent and overwhelming need to fulfil a family obligation and feelings of guilt to seek help, which acted as barriers to seeking support, in the early stages. In theme 2, family carers rarely received support in the early stages and available resources were limited to self-help materials. Finally, in Theme 3, family carers wanted to receive interpersonal tailored support to seek practical advice and to learn psychological skills to build resilience in the early stages to overcome emotional challenges. The development of interventions that are specifically designed for family carers in the early stages is critical. The key components to be considered for future interventions are discussed.
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Milena L Contreras.