Individual differences in the experience of burden in caring for relatives with dementia: role of personality and mastery

Abstract

Objective: We explored individual differences in caregiver outcome according to the personality and behavioural style of the carer. Current models of caregiver burden fail to consider such factors.

Methods: This cross-sectional, exploratory study used carer variables of personality traits and mastery and patient variables of cognitive, functional and neurobehavioural status to predict scores on an established measure of burden in a sample of 51 people with dementia and their carers.

Results: Hierarchical multiple regression showed a significant association between behavioural disturbance and neuroticism and burden, but not with mastery.

Conclusions: The primary findings in this study are that models of caregiver outcome need to take an individual differences perspective in accounting for caregiver mental health risk factors: personality characteristics do play a part in the way caregivers manage this difficult role.