Depression and coping in caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease

Family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) often develop personal needs during the care giving experience. If needs are unmet and coping is ineffective, depressive symptoms may develop. While research has suggested a change in depressive symptoms over time, the pattern of depressive symptoms has not been fully explored in family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's Disease. The purpose of this descriptive study is to examine the pattern of depressive symptoms in caregivers of patients with AD. Neumans' Systems Model (1995) of stress and reaction to stress provides the theoretical model for the study. A random sample of 100 caregivers will be recruited from caregiver support groups, caregivers who are registered through the Alzheimer's Association, and caregivers who take AD clients to local mental health centers in one midwestern state. Instrumentation will include the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Data will be collected at baseline and then six months, one year, and two years later. Participation is voluntary. Data will be confidential. Permission will be sought from the Institutional Review Boards of participating institutions. Findings may clarify patterns of depressive symptoms in caregivers and identify methods of improving mental health status of caregivers.School of NursingThesis (M.S.