Serena Passoni1, Alessio Toraldo2, Barbara Villa3, Gabriella Bottini4. 1. Cognitive Neuropsychology Center, Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital, Milan, Italy serena.passoni@gmail.com. 2. Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy. 3. AIMA Milano Onlus, Italian Association of Alzheimer Disease, Milan, Italy. 4. Cognitive Neuropsychology Center, Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital, Milan, Italy Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To estimate the frequency of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) in 90 primary caregivers of patients with dementia who live in the community dwelling in Milan and to identify the relationship between grief intensity (GI) and other caregiver variables; another aim was to clarify the role of the objective cognitive and functional impairment of the patients and the level of deterioration perceived by caregivers. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. RESULTS: In all, 16.7% of caregivers had PGD. Caregiver variables increasing GI and the risk of developing PGD were burden, anxiety, and some sociodemographic features. The objective level of patient's deterioration was irrelevant for PGD probability/GI, while the deterioration level perceived by the caregiver increased PGD probability and GI. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers of patients with dementia may experience grief symptoms that are associated with low educational level, high level of burden and anxiety, and high perceived deterioration of their demented relatives' cognitive and functional abilities.
OBJECTIVES: To estimate the frequency of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) in 90 primary caregivers of patients with dementia who live in the community dwelling in Milan and to identify the relationship between grief intensity (GI) and other caregiver variables; another aim was to clarify the role of the objective cognitive and functional impairment of the patients and the level of deterioration perceived by caregivers. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. RESULTS: In all, 16.7% of caregivers had PGD. Caregiver variables increasing GI and the risk of developing PGD were burden, anxiety, and some sociodemographic features. The objective level of patient's deterioration was irrelevant for PGD probability/GI, while the deterioration level perceived by the caregiver increased PGD probability and GI. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers of patients with dementia may experience grief symptoms that are associated with low educational level, high level of burden and anxiety, and high perceived deterioration of their demented relatives' cognitive and functional abilities.