The contribution of attachment to burden in adult children of institutionalized parents with dementia.

The impact of adult attachment to parents, perceived disease severity, and caregiving behaviors, moderated by perceived caregiving adequacy, were investigated in 108 adult children of patients with dementia. Multiple regression analyses indicated that attachment style, the trait aspect of attachment, predicted both aspects of caregiver burden: caregiving difficulty and psychological symptomatology. Attachment preoccupation, the state aspect of attachment, predicted psychological symptomatology. No other variables, including demographics, were significant predictors. This suggests that a secure attachment style appears to protect caregivers from some of the strain of caregiving. Preoccupation with the attachment relationship contributed to burden in this population.