Background: Previous studies assessed the relationship between caregivers’ characteristics and caregiver burden. However, comprehensive evaluations of caregivers’ behavioral and psychological traits remain comparatively limited. Objective: To explore the possible association between the cognitive and behavioral characteristics of caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the burden they experience, with a focus on sex/gender differences. Methods: In this multicenter cross-sectional study within the SINdem “Sex and Gender Differences in Dementia” group, informal caregivers of non-institutionalized AD patients attending the Italian Memory Clinics were enrolled. Caregivers completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Revised Scale for Caregiver Self-Efficacy, 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11, Brief COPE, 14-Item Resilience Scale, Ten-Item Big Five Inventory, Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Empathy Quotient–Short, and the Caregiver Burden Inventory. Sex was considered as a binary variable (female/male); gender-related dimensions were explored indirectly through caregivers’ behavioral and psychological characteristics. Results: 238 caregivers and 238 AD patients were enrolled. A higher burden was associated with more daily caregiving hours, lower self-efficacy, greater impulsivity, difficulties identifying feelings, acting without awareness, a stronger tendency to judge, and higher neuroticism. Female caregiver burden was associated with attentional/motor impulsiveness, lower mindfulness, lower resilience, and lower emotional empathy. Male caregivers showed associations with lower self-efficacy, greater reliance on emotion-focused coping, difficulties identifying feelings, lower non-judging, lower agreeableness, and reduced cognitive empathy. Conclusions: Caregiver burden was associated with caregivers’ own behavioral and psychological profiles and sex, beyond patient-related factors. These findings support the importance of integrating sex/gender perspectives and targeted interventions into caregiver assessment and support.
Cognitive and behavioral determinants of burden in caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease: A focus on sex and gender. The SexDemCare Multicentric Italian Study
Luca, Antonina
;Tomaselli, AliceWriting – Review & Editing
;
2026-01-01
Abstract
Background: Previous studies assessed the relationship between caregivers’ characteristics and caregiver burden. However, comprehensive evaluations of caregivers’ behavioral and psychological traits remain comparatively limited. Objective: To explore the possible association between the cognitive and behavioral characteristics of caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the burden they experience, with a focus on sex/gender differences. Methods: In this multicenter cross-sectional study within the SINdem “Sex and Gender Differences in Dementia” group, informal caregivers of non-institutionalized AD patients attending the Italian Memory Clinics were enrolled. Caregivers completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Revised Scale for Caregiver Self-Efficacy, 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11, Brief COPE, 14-Item Resilience Scale, Ten-Item Big Five Inventory, Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Empathy Quotient–Short, and the Caregiver Burden Inventory. Sex was considered as a binary variable (female/male); gender-related dimensions were explored indirectly through caregivers’ behavioral and psychological characteristics. Results: 238 caregivers and 238 AD patients were enrolled. A higher burden was associated with more daily caregiving hours, lower self-efficacy, greater impulsivity, difficulties identifying feelings, acting without awareness, a stronger tendency to judge, and higher neuroticism. Female caregiver burden was associated with attentional/motor impulsiveness, lower mindfulness, lower resilience, and lower emotional empathy. Male caregivers showed associations with lower self-efficacy, greater reliance on emotion-focused coping, difficulties identifying feelings, lower non-judging, lower agreeableness, and reduced cognitive empathy. Conclusions: Caregiver burden was associated with caregivers’ own behavioral and psychological profiles and sex, beyond patient-related factors. These findings support the importance of integrating sex/gender perspectives and targeted interventions into caregiver assessment and support.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
