OBJECTIVES: To use an innovative statistical method, Latent Class Trajectory Analysis (LCTA), to identify and describe subgroups (called trajectories) of caregiver depressive symptoms in a national sample of wives providing informal care for their husbands with dementia. DESIGN: Longitudinal. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Respondents to the National Longitudinal Caregiver Survey were wife caregivers of veterans with dementia who were identified through Veterans Affairs hospitals nationally. MEASUREMENTS: Mean number of depressive symptoms as measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D, 20-item scale). RESULTS: Overall mean depressive symptoms of wife caregivers were 6.2 of 20, below the cutpoint (8 or 9/20) associated with clinical depression. Four distinct trajectories of caregiver depressive symptoms were identified. The trajectory with the highest number of symptoms (11.9 of 20), contained one-third of the sample. Another third had mean depressive symptoms virtually identical to the overall sample mean. The final third were divided between two trajectories, low depressive symptoms (mean CES-D, 3.0/20, 22% of sample) and very low (mean CES-D, 0.8/20, 14% of sample). Approximately two-thirds of the sample members were in a depressive symptom trajectory, with substantially higher or lower numbers of symptoms than the overall mean. Two subjective measures asked of wife caregivers (desire for more help, life satisfaction) were significantly associated with membership in the highest depressive symptom trajectory. CONCLUSION: LCTA identified important depressive symptom subgroups of wife caregivers. A population-averaging method identified a mean effect that was similar to the effect in one-third of the cases but substantially different from that in two-thirds of the cases.
OBJECTIVES: To use an innovative statistical method, Latent Class Trajectory Analysis (LCTA), to identify and describe subgroups (called trajectories) of caregiver depressive symptoms in a national sample of wives providing informal care for their husbands with dementia. DESIGN: Longitudinal. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Respondents to the National Longitudinal Caregiver Survey were wife caregivers of veterans with dementia who were identified through Veterans Affairs hospitals nationally. MEASUREMENTS: Mean number of depressive symptoms as measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D, 20-item scale). RESULTS: Overall mean depressive symptoms of wife caregivers were 6.2 of 20, below the cutpoint (8 or 9/20) associated with clinical depression. Four distinct trajectories of caregiver depressive symptoms were identified. The trajectory with the highest number of symptoms (11.9 of 20), contained one-third of the sample. Another third had mean depressive symptoms virtually identical to the overall sample mean. The final third were divided between two trajectories, low depressive symptoms (mean CES-D, 3.0/20, 22% of sample) and very low (mean CES-D, 0.8/20, 14% of sample). Approximately two-thirds of the sample members were in a depressive symptom trajectory, with substantially higher or lower numbers of symptoms than the overall mean. Two subjective measures asked of wife caregivers (desire for more help, life satisfaction) were significantly associated with membership in the highest depressive symptom trajectory. CONCLUSION: LCTA identified important depressive symptom subgroups of wife caregivers. A population-averaging method identified a mean effect that was similar to the effect in one-third of the cases but substantially different from that in two-thirds of the cases.
Authors: Maryam Navaie-Waliser; Penny H Feldman; David A Gould; Carol Levine; Alexis N Kuerbis; Karen Donelan Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2002-03 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: Sarah Mustillo; Carol Worthman; Alaattin Erkanli; Gordon Keeler; Adrian Angold; E Jane Costello Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2003-04 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: José A Luchsinger; Dante Tipiani; Gabriela Torres-Patiño; Stephanie Silver; Joseph P Eimicke; Mildred Ramirez; Jeanne Teresi; Mary Mittelman Journal: Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen Date: 2015-01-29 Impact factor: 2.035
Authors: Donald E Bailey; Julie Barroso; Andrew J Muir; Richard Sloane; Jacqui Richmond; John McHutchison; Keyur Patel; Lawrence Landerman; Merle H Mishel Journal: Res Nurs Health Date: 2010-10 Impact factor: 2.228
Authors: Sarah Iribarren; Samantha Stonbraker; Niurka Suero-Tejeda; Maribel Granja; José A Luchsinger; Mary Mittelman; Suzanne Bakken; Robert Lucero Journal: Inform Health Soc Care Date: 2018-03-05 Impact factor: 2.439
Authors: Laura B Dunn; Bradley E Aouizerat; Dale J Langford; Bruce A Cooper; Anand Dhruva; Janine K Cataldo; Christina R Baggott; John D Merriman; Marylin Dodd; Claudia West; Steven M Paul; Christine Miaskowski Journal: Eur J Oncol Nurs Date: 2012-11-24 Impact factor: 2.398