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Anxiety Symptoms in Australian Memory Clinic Attendees with Cognitive Impairment: Differences Between Self-, Carer-,
Gabriela Pacas Fronza1, Gerard Byrne1,2,3, Kana Appadurai4
1UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston, Australia.
Objectives:
To identify the prevalence of anxiety symptoms using a variety of instruments in an Australian memory clinic sample.
Methods:
This is an exploratory cross-sectional study using a purposive consecutive series sample of 163 individuals and their carers who attended a Brisbane, Australia, memory clinic in 2012-2015. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were performed to explore different approaches to measuring anxiety in the sample, using clinician-rated, self-report and carer-report measures.
Results:
The mean age of participants was 78 years, nearly 53% were females. Over 70% of participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia (n = 163) experienced mild to moderate anxiety per a clinician-rated measure (HAM-A), which moderately correlated with carer-report anxiety (IQAD; r =.59, p < .001). Only weak correlations of these measures with self-report anxiety (GAI) were detected.
Conclusions:
Mild to moderate anxiety symptoms were frequent in memory clinic attendees diagnosed with MCI or dementia using the HAM-A, suggesting experiences of subclinical anxiety symptoms.
Clinical Implications:
Self- as well as carer-report screening tools should be used in memory clinics in addition to routinely administered neuropsychiatric assessments to support early identification of anxiety symptoms and mapping of available post-diagnostic care pathways for people diagnosed with cognitive impairment.
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