A network approach to dementia care burden: Exploring relationships between objective and subjective indicators of care burden in caregivers of community-dwelling people with dementia

Introduction

This study used psychometric network analysis to explore how indicators of care burden are interconnected in informal caregivers of people with dementia (PwD).
Methods

Thirteen indicators of objective and subjective care burden from 170 informal caregivers (71.8% female, 69.5 ± 11.0 years) were included as nodes in the network: formal care hours, PwD dependence for (instrumental) activities of daily living ([I]ADL), time since diagnosis, sense of competence, positive caregiving experiences, shared pleasant activities, depressive symptomatology, and self-rated health. A Gaussian graphical model was used to explore unique relationships between variables.
Results

Distinct clusters for objective and subjective indicators of burden were identified, with limited cross-connections. Depressive symptomatology and sense of competence displayed particularly high node strength. Positive caregiving experiences and shared pleasant activities appeared to connect different indicators.
Conclusion

This study indicated that objective care burden is not strongly related to experiences of burden. Supporting caregivers' well-being may require addressing subjective burden in particular.