Effects of dyadic discrepancy in awareness of mild cognitive impairment on changes in care partner’s burden over time

Abstract

Objectives:This study explored interpersonal aspects of coping with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), focusing on how shared illness representations between persons with MCI (PwMCI) and their care partners (CPs) are associated with CP perceived burden.

Method:Longitudinal data from a purposive sample of 69 MCI care dyads were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, intraclass correlations, and regression analyses.

Results: CP perceived their PwMCI’s deficits in MCI-related functions as more negative than PwMCI rated themselves, but the extent of the discrepancy varied across cognitive and behavioral abilities. The discrepancy in dyadic appraisal of PwMCI functioning was associated significantly with CP burden.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the value of shared PwMCI and CP perspectives on cognitive functioning for MCI management and psychological adjustment.

Keywords:

• Care burden
• family caregivers
• dyadic appraisal
• dementia knowledge
• dyadic discrepancy

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge cooperation by the Glennan Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology of Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, the Center for Healthy Aging of Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, all in Virginia, and by the University of Chicago Center for Comprehensive Care and Research on Memory Disorders, the Indiana University Center for Aging Research’s Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis, and the Emory University Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Memory Clinic in Atlanta; as well as the assistance of Martha Anderson, Carlene Arthur, Nancy Brossoie, William Dale, Gail Evans, Gina Freed, Stefan Gravenstein, Joshua Hemmerich, Kye Y. Kim, Greg A. Sachs, Jyoti S. Savla, and Karen Wilcox.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported in part by grants from the Alzheimer’s Association (IIRG-03-5926 and IIRG-07-59078 (Karen A. Roberto, PI and Rosemary Blieszner, Co-PI).