Self-efficacy and social support for psychological well-being of family caregivers of care recipients with dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s disease dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease

ABSTRACT

The study identified factors associated with depressive symptoms in family caregivers of persons with dementia with Lewy bodies, Alzheimer’s disease, or Parkinson’s disease dementia. An Internet-based survey generated 606 response sets. Regression analysis indicated that care recipients’ memory and behavioral problems, caregivers’ self-efficacy, grief, and tangible, emotional, and affectionate support were significantly associated with caregivers’ depressive symptoms. Self-efficacy mediated caregiver burden to improve psychological well-being. Social support mediated the association between caregiver grief and psychological well-being. Social workers can provide psychoeducational interventions to help caregivers to manage emotional distress and improve capacity to manage tasks related to the dementia.

KEYWORDS:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Caregiver
• dementia with Lewy bodies
• mediation
• self-efficacy
• social support
• Parkinson’s disease dementia

Acknowledgement

We thank the Lewy Body Dementia Association and the dedicated caregivers who took time to answer the survey.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.