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Dementia Caregiver Burden: a Research Update and Critical Analysis
Cheng ST.. Current psychiatry reports, 2017-08-10
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Purpose of review This article provides an updated review of the determinants of caregiver burden and depression, with a focus on care demands and especially the differential effects of various neuropsychiatric symptoms or symptom clusters. Moreover, studies on caregivers for frontotemporal and Lewy body dementias were referred to in order to identify differences and similarities with the mainstream literature based largely on Alzheimer caregivers. Recent findings As a group, neuropsychiatric symptoms are most predictive of caregiver burden and depression regardless of dementia diagnosis, but the effects appear to be driven primarily by disruptive behaviors (e.g., agitation, aggression, disinhibition), followed by delusions and mood disturbance. Disruptive behaviors are more disturbing partly because of the adverse impact on the emotional connection between the caregiver and the care-recipient and partly because they exacerbate difficulties in other domains (e.g., caring for activities of daily living). In behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, not only are these disruptive behaviors more prominent but they are also more disturbing due to the care-recipient's insensitivity to others' feelings. In Lewy body dementia, visual hallucinations also appear to be distressing. The disturbing nature of disruptive behaviors cuts across dementia conditions, but the roles played by symptoms that are unique or particularly serious in a certain condition need to be explored further.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Cheng, S. T. (2017). Dementia Caregiver Burden: a Research Update and Critical Analysis. Current psychiatry reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-017-0818-2
Vancouver
Cheng ST. Dementia Caregiver Burden: a Research Update and Critical Analysis. Current psychiatry reports. 2017. doi:10.1007/s11920-017-0818-2. PMID: 28795386.
BibTeX
@article{cheng2017-28795386,
author = {Cheng, S. T.},
title = {{Dementia Caregiver Burden: a Research Update and Critical Analysis}},
journal = {Current psychiatry reports},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1007/s11920-017-0818-2},
pmid = {28795386},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-017-0818-2}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Recent findings As a group, neuropsychiatric symptoms are most predictive of caregiver burden and depression regardless of dementia diagnosis, but the effects appear to be driven primarily by disruptive behaviors (e.g., agitation, aggression, disinhibition), followed by delusions and mood disturbance.
- Disruptive behaviors are more disturbing partly because of the adverse impact on the emotional connection between the caregiver and the care-recipient and partly because they exacerbate difficulties in other domains (e.g., caring for activities of daily living).
- In behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, not only are these disruptive behaviors more prominent but they are also more disturbing due to the care-recipient's insensitivity to others' feelings.
- In Lewy body dementia, visual hallucinations also appear to be distressing.
- The disturbing nature of disruptive behaviors cuts across dementia conditions, but the roles played by symptoms that are unique or particularly serious in a certain condition need to be explored further.
Why it matters
This review found that neuropsychiatric symptoms, especially disruptive behaviors such as agitation, aggression, and disinhibition, are most predictive of caregiver burden and depression regardless of dementia diagnosis. In behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, these disruptive behaviors are more prominent and more disturbing due to the care-recipient's insensitivity to others' feelings, and in Lewy body dementia, visual hallucinations also appear to be distressing.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 54/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Current psychiatry reports) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Current Psychiatry Reports: journal h-index 163 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2017 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 593 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 53.9 citations a year over 11 year(s) since 2017 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 27.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 19 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 217 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Sheung‐Tak Cheng: h-index 50 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of East Anglia: institution h-index 759 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 28795386) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 54 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1007/s11920-017-0818-2
- PubMed: 28795386
- Original source →
- Free full text: Current Psychiatry Reports →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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