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The Impact of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia on Mental Health, Sleep Quality, and Caregiver’s Burden
I‐Wen Chen, Jia‐Ying Sung, Wei‐Han Wang. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2025-04-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Caregivers of patients with BPSD reported significantly greater psychological distress, burden, and poorer sleep quality than those caring for patients without BPSD. Their distress spanned multiple symptom dimensions, including depression and anxiety. Somatization and phobic anxiety were also more pronounced in caregivers of mild and moderate dementia with BPSD. Among caregivers of patients with BPSD, those of individuals with moderate dementia experienced the highest distress, burden, and poorest sleep quality compared to those with very mild dementia. BPSD is a major contributor to greater caregiver distress, sleep disturbances, and burden, regardless of dementia severity, or duration alone. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to manage BPSD, which may help alleviate caregiver psychological distress and improve sleep quality.
Key findings
- Caregivers of patients with BPSD reported significantly greater psychological distress, burden, and poorer sleep quality than those caring for patients without BPSD.
- Their distress spanned multiple symptom dimensions, including depression and anxiety.
- Somatization and phobic anxiety were also more pronounced in caregivers of mild and moderate dementia with BPSD.
- Among caregivers of patients with BPSD, those of individuals with moderate dementia experienced the highest distress, burden, and poorest sleep quality compared to those with very mild dementia.
- BPSD is a major contributor to greater caregiver distress, sleep disturbances, and burden, regardless of dementia severity, or duration alone.
Why it matters
This study found that caregivers of dementia patients with behavioral and psychological symptoms reported more distress, burden and poorer sleep than caregivers of patients without such symptoms. It points to the need for interventions to manage these symptoms in order to ease caregiver distress, but does not address treating or preventing dementia itself.
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Study details
- Participants280
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: journal h-index 190 (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 | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 280 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 9 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 3.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 9 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Wei‐Han Wang: h-index 9 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Taipei Medical University: institution h-index 345 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40261108) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
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.
APA 7th
Chen, I., Sung, J., & Wang, W. (2025). The Impact of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia on Mental Health, Sleep Quality, and Caregiver’s Burden. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.70080
Vancouver
Chen I, Sung J, Wang W. The Impact of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia on Mental Health, Sleep Quality, and Caregiver’s Burden. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2025. doi:10.1002/gps.70080. PMID: 40261108.
BibTeX
@article{chen2025-40261108,
author = {Chen, I‐Wen and Sung, Jia‐Ying and Wang, Wei‐Han},
title = {{The Impact of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia on Mental Health, Sleep Quality, and Caregiver’s Burden}},
journal = {International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/gps.70080},
pmid = {40261108},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.70080}
}
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