Caregiver Burden in Caregivers of Patients with Alzheimer\u27s: Interventions and Influence of Relationship Roles and Gender

Abstract Background: Caregiver burden in caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease can cause negative emotional, social, and physical effects on caregivers and impact their quality of life. Objectives: The purpose of this integrative literature review was to determine which interventions are most effective in alleviating caregiver burden. This review also compared the degree of caregiver burden among gender (male vs. female) and family roles (adult-child vs. spouse) to determine how these differences may affect interventions. Method: An integrative literature review was conducted using the databases PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and PsychInfo. Search terms included caregiver, Alzheimer’s, burden, coping, strategies, interventions, dementia, gender, family roles, spouse, and adult-child. Results: Five research articles were selected based on exclusion and inclusion criteria--three were studies on interventions to decrease caregiver burden and two addressed the influences of gender and family roles on caregiver burden. The three intervention studies included social resources, emotional support, and increased problem-solving skills as common factors to decrease caregiver burden. All interventions were equally effective in reducing caregiver burden. The two selected studies addressing gender and family roles demonstrated that female caregivers experienced a higher level of burden than males. Additionally, adult-child caregivers experienced greater caregiver burden when compared to spouse caregivers. Conclusion: Further research is necessary to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the most effective interventions to reduce caregiver burden. This review demonstrated that female adult-child caregivers experience the greatest burden when compared to their counterparts, highlighting the need for future interventions tailored to this specific population