Being the Family Caregiver of a Patient With Dementia During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Lockdown

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

卷:13

Federica Agosta³  Paolo Caffarra⁴  Giancarlo Logroscino⁶  Renato Sambati⁶  Massimo Filippi⁸  Gioacchino Tedeschi⁹  the SINdem COVID-19 Study Group¹⁰  Chiara Cupidi¹¹  Ildebrando M. Appollonio¹²  Valeria Isella¹²  Carlo Ferrarese¹²  Annachiara Cagnin¹³  Elisa Rubino¹⁴  Innocenzo Rainero¹⁵  Milena Zucca¹⁵  Laura Bonanni¹⁶  Amalia C. Bruni¹⁷  Raffaele Di Lorenzo¹⁷  Valentina Laganà¹⁷  Valeria Guglielmi¹⁸  Camillo Marra¹⁸  Davide Quaranta¹⁸  Nicola Vanacore¹⁹ 

[1] 0Neurology Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy;

[2] 1Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy;

[3] 2Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy;

[4] 3Unit of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Parma, Italy;

[5] 4Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Aging Brain, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy;

[6] 5Department of Basic Medicine Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy;

[7] 6Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy;

[8] 7Neurophysiology Service, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy;

[9] 8Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy;

[10] ;

[11] CDCD Ospedale del Delta, AUSL Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy;

[12] Department of Medicine and Surgery and Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMi), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy;

[13] Department of Neuroscience (DNS), University of Padua, Padua, Italy;

[14] Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Turin, Italy;

[15] Department of Neuroscience, Aging Brain and Memory Clinic, University of Torino, Turin, Italy;

[16] Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d’Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy;

[17] Department of Primary Care, Regional Neurogenetic Centre, Catanzaro, Italy;

[18] Memory Clinic, Fondazione Policlinico Agostino Gemelli, IRCCS Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy;

[19] National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy;

关键词: caregiver;    dementia;    COVID-19;    stress;    burden;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fnagi.2021.653533

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Background: Family caregivers of patients with dementia are at high risk of stress and burden, and quarantine due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have increased the risk of psychological disturbances in this population. The current study was carried out during the national lockdown declared in March 2020 by the Italian government as a containment measure of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic and is the first nationwide survey on the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the mental health of dementia informal caregivers.Methods: Eighty-seven dementia centers evenly distributed on the Italian territory enrolled 4,710 caregiver–patient pairs. Caregivers underwent a telephone interview assessing classical symptoms of caregiver stress and concern for the consequences of COVID-19 infection on patient’s health. We calculated prevalence of symptoms and regressed them on various potential stress risk factors: caregivers’ sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle, patients’ clinical features, and lockdown-related elements, like discontinuity in medical care.Results: Approximately 90% of caregivers reported at least one symptom of stress, and nearly 30% reported four or more symptoms. The most prevalent symptoms were concern for consequences of COVID-19 on patient’s health (75%) and anxiety (46%). The main risk factors for stress were identified as a conflicting relationship with the patient and discontinuity in assistance, but caregiver’s female sex, younger age, lower education, and cohabitation with the patient also had an impact. Availability of help from institutions or private individuals showed a protective effect against sense of abandonment but a detrimental effect on concern about the risk for the patient to contract COVID-19. The only protective factor was mild dementia severity, which was associated with a lower risk of feeling isolated and abandoned; type of dementia, on the other hand, did not affect stress risk.Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the large prevalence of stress in family caregivers of patients with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic and have identified both caregivers and situations at a higher risk of stress, which should be taken into account in the planning of interventions in support of quarantined families and patients.

【 授权许可】

Unknown