The Psychological and Physical Costs of Caregiving: The Canadian Study of Health and Aging

Abstract

Persons with dementia and their caregivers were randomly identified as part of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging. The current study examines the interrelation among demographic and illness variables relative to various outcomes of caregiving (n = 181). From these analyses, two pairings of canonical variates emerge as significantly correlated: The first suggests an underlying affective construct related to activities of daily living and problematic behaviors; the second reflects a caregiver health construct composed of demographic variables, depressive affect, and diagnosis of the care-recipient. These findings suggest that negative caregiving outcomes may arise within distinct affective and physical health domains. Illness would appear to manifest within either system where a predisposition exists among caregivers faced with specific stressors.

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