The psychological well-being of supporters of the demented elderly

Interviews were conducted with the co-resident supporters of 79 elderly subjects. Forty of these elderly subjects had been diagnosed as being demented (20 mildly, 12 moderately and eight severely) following psychiatric assessment. The supporters were screened for psychological well-being with the 60...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBritish journal of psychiatry Vol. 150; p. 293
Main Authors Eagles, J M, Craig, A, Rawlinson, F, Restall, D B, Beattie, J A, Besson, J A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.03.1987
Subjects
Aged
Dementia - complications
Dementia - psychology
Family
Female
Home Nursing - psychology
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Stress, Psychological
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Summary:Interviews were conducted with the co-resident supporters of 79 elderly subjects. Forty of these elderly subjects had been diagnosed as being demented (20 mildly, 12 moderately and eight severely) following psychiatric assessment. The supporters were screened for psychological well-being with the 60-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Relatives' Stress Scale (RSS). Supporters of demented relatives showed significantly raised levels of stress on the RSS, but no increase in psychiatric morbidity on the GHQ, when compared with the supporters of non-demented relatives. The implications of these findings are discussed.
ISSN:0007-1250
1472-1465
DOI:10.1192/bjp.150.3.293