Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Adult children frequently care for parents with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), facing significant health risks.
• Family dynamics, particularly sibling relationships, influence caregiver well-being.
• Equity theory suggests balanced exchanges in relationships promote satisfaction, while imbalances cause distress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between perceived equity in care provision among siblings and mental health outcomes (loneliness, depressive symptoms) in adult child caregivers of parents with ADRD.
• To extend existing research by focusing on the specific context of sibling caregiving dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Study included 208 adult child caregivers from 111 families with an older parent living with ADRD.
• Caregivers reported perceptions of care equity (sibling helps more, equally, or caregiver helps more).
• Mental health was assessed using the UCLA Loneliness scale and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale.

Main Results:

• Caregivers perceiving they provided more care than their sibling reported increased loneliness compared to those with equitable distribution.
• Caregivers reported higher depressive symptoms when they perceived providing either more or less care than their sibling, relative to equitable care.

Conclusions:

• Equitable division of caregiving responsibilities among siblings is crucial for improving caregiver mental well-being.
• Addressing perceived imbalances in care provision can mitigate negative mental health outcomes for caregivers.