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. 2012 Aug;44(1):73-84.
doi: 10.1007/s12160-012-9371-8.

Group-based trajectory modeling of caregiver psychological distress over time

Chien-Wen J Choi  1 , Roslyn A Stone, Kevin H Kim, Dianxu Ren, Richard Schulz, Charles W Given, Barbara A Given, Paula R Sherwood
Affiliations

Group-based trajectory modeling of caregiver psychological distress over time

Chien-Wen J Choi et al. Ann Behav Med. 2012 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Competing theories of adaptation and wear-and-tear describe psychological distress patterns among family caregivers.

Purpose: This study seeks to characterize psychological distress patterns in family caregivers and identify predictors.

Methods: One hundred three caregivers of care recipients with primary malignant brain tumors were interviewed within 1, 4, 8, and 12 months post-diagnosis regarding psychological distress; care recipients were interviewed regarding clinical/functional characteristics. Group-based trajectory modeling identified longitudinal distress patterns, and weighted logistic/multinomial regression models identified predictors of distress trajectories.

Results: Group-based trajectory modeling identified high-decreasing (51.1 % of caregivers) and consistently low (48.9 %) depressive symptom trajectories, high-decreasing (75.5 %) and low-decreasing (24.5 %) anxiety trajectories, and high (37.5 %), moderate (40.9 %), and low-decreasing (21.6 %) caregiver burden trajectories. High depressive symptoms were associated with high trajectories for both anxiety and burden, lower caregivers age, income, and social support, and lower care recipient functioning.

Conclusions: Our data support the adaptation hypothesis; interventions should target those at risk for persistent distress.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Statement The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of study design
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Predicted (a) depressive symptoms, (b) anxiety, and (c) schedule burden scores for each caregiver over time, based on random effects models. Each population average (thick line) decreases over time
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Trajectory plots of depressive symptoms from diagnosis to 1 year. Dots and diamonds denote the individual scores. For each trajectory group, the solid line represents the predicted trajectory and the dashed lines represent the 95 % confidence interval
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Trajectory plots of anxiety from diagnosis to 1 year. Dots and diamonds denote the individual scores. For each trajectory group, the solid line represents the predicted trajectory and the dashed lines represent the 95 % confidence interval
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Trajectory plots of schedule burden scores from diagnosis to 1 year. Dots and diamonds denote the individual scores. For each trajectory group, the solid line represents the predicted trajectory and the dashed lines represent the 95 % confidence interval
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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