Effects of gender on burden among caregivers of alzheimer patients

This is a comparative descriptive study and was performed to investigate effects of gender on caregiving burden among caregivers of Alzheimer patientsThe study was conducted in dementia outpatient clinics of two university hospitals, neurology outpatient clinic of one private hospital and an office of Alzheimer Association in Izmir between 9 March 2009 and 24 June 2009. Factors affecting the burden of female and male caregivers (age, mean duration of caregiving a day, education, income, total duration of caregiving and employment status, age of the patients offered care and MMT and NPI scores) look has been kept (p > .05). The study sample included 120 female and 72 male caregivers of Alzheimer patientsData were collected Mini Mental test (MMT) from patients, and demographic features, Caregivers Burden Inventory, Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) from caregivers, and data were collected at face to face interviews with a questionnaire. From caregivers and institutions were written consent was obtained. Numbers and percentages were given by using demographic datas. The data were evaluated analyzed with independent samples t test.The female caregivers were found to have significantly higher scores for caregiver burden than the male caregivers (the female caregivers: 54.63 ± 21.15; the male caregivers: 44.63 ± 22.39, p = .002). In subscales, female caregivers were found to have significantly higher scores for caregiver burden than the male caregivers in time dependence burden (p = .040), developmental burden (p = .002), physical burden (p = .001) and social burden (p = .045). A difference is not determined in the emotional burden (p = .718) between the male and female caregiversAccording to the results of the study, it is suggested that nurses should more support to female caregivers, increasing male caregivers also needs to be taken into consideration and qualitative studies should planned about determine to factors affecting the caregiver burden.Key Words: Alzheimer disease, caregiver, caregiving burden, caregiver burden, gender.