Resourcefulness as a Mediator of the Effects of Dementia Symptoms and Caregiver Reactions on Caregiver Mental Health

Abstract

In this secondary analysis of 138 community-dwelling women caregivers of persons with dementia, we examined whether caregiver resourcefulness mediated the effects of both the frequency of and reactions to their care recipients' memory-related, depressive, and disruptive symptoms of dementia on caregiver depressive symptoms. Caregiver resourcefulness mediated the effects of care recipient depressive symptoms on caregiver depressive symptoms, and the effects of caregiver actions to depressive and disruptive symptoms on caregiver depressive symptoms. The findings suggest the potential benefit of teaching resourcefulness skills to reduce depressive symptoms of caregivers whose care recipients frequently exhibited depressive or disruptive symptoms associated with dementia.

Figures

Figure 1.

Proposed relationships among dementia symptoms, caregiver reactions, resourcefulness, and depressive symptoms within Resourcefulness Theory.