Personality and psychological health in caregivers of older relatives: a case-control study

Abstract

Objectives

Being a caregiver of an older adult is often associated with poor psychological outcomes and stress. Individual differences, such as personality, may moderate responses to caregiving. In this study, we examined (a) personality and psychological health of family caregivers compared to non-caregivers and (b) tested interactions between caregiver status and personality (both domains and facets) in predicting psychological outcomes.

Methods

Data were from an online sample of caregivers of older relatives (N = 491; 71.9% females) and matched controls (N = 491). Participants completed the Big Five Inventory-2 and a comprehensive set of psychological health and well-being measures.

Results

Compared to non-caregivers, caregivers had higher neuroticism, lower energy level (extraversion facet) and higher compassion (agreeableness facet). They also reported higher depression, anxiety, loneliness, and lower well-being and life satisfaction. Personality traits and facets had strong associations with psychological outcomes, and these associations were similar across the two groups. Only a few significant interactions between caregiver status and personality were found: For instance, higher neuroticism (in particular, higher scores on anxiety and depression facets) exacerbated anxiety among caregivers.

Conclusions

Personality is a relevant correlate of psychological health. In the context of caregiving, its assessment may help to identify caregivers at risk of poor outcomes and inform intervention programs. Further research is needed to replicate the findings and investigate longitudinal interrelations among variables.

Keywords:

• Caregivers
• control group
• older adults
• personality traits and facets
• psychological health

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

Notes

1 About 45% of the sample completed first the memory task and then the questionnaires. There were no order effects for outcome variables (t-tests, p >.05), except for life satisfaction (t₍₉₈₀₎ = 2.85, p = .004); those completing the memory task first had higher scoring in life satisfaction (M = 16.79, SD = 5.42) than those completing first the questionnaires (M = 15.81, SD = 5.31).

2 Note that most caregivers (N = 138/491) reported that the main reason for which their relative needed assistance was because he/she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. No differences in personality were observed based on the type of caregiving— dementia caregivers vs. other type of caregivers. Caregivers of dementia patients did report psychological distress compared to other caregivers and non-caregivers. That is, they scored higher on depression (F_(2,973) = 32.103, p <.001, η² = .06; M = 7.72 [SE = .43] for dementia caregivers, M = 5.59 [SE = .27] for other caregivers, and M = 3.94 [SE = .23] for non-caregivers), anxiety (F_(2,973) = 42.497, p <.001, η² = .08; M = 7.50 [SE = .45] for dementia caregiver, M = 5.87 [SE = .29] for other caregivers, and M = 3.31 [SE = .24] for non-caregivers), and loneliness (F_(2,973) = 33.276, p <.001, η² = .06; M = 5.84 [SE = .16] for dementia caregiver, M = 5.19 [SE = .10] for other caregivers, and M = 4.44 [SE = .09] for non-caregivers). There were no differences in well-being nor life satisfaction between dementia caregivers and other caregivers; however, both groups scored lower than non-caregivers on these measures.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Institute for Successful Longevity, 2017 Planning Grant program, at the Florida State University. Investigators have also received support from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health, Award Numbers R01AG053297 and R56AG064952. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of funding agencies.