The purpose of this study was to explore the level of variability in anxiety and affect, and the relationship between these variables among caregivers for spouses with probable Alzheimer's disease. Thirty spouse caregivers (17 husbands, 13 wives) completed a measure of anxiety and affect for 30 consecutive days. The results indicated that this caregiving sample showed inter-individual differences in the level of variability in anxiety and affect. Some individuals displayed a moderate amount of stability while others showed much variability over the 30 days. In addition, the results indicated inter-individual differences in the correlations between state anxiety and positive affect for this caregiving sample. The caregivers with low levels of variability in anxiety showed significantly more positive affect and less negative affect than caregivers with high levels of variability in anxiety. It may not be necessary to completely eliminate anxiety in caregivers. Instead, techniques for keeping anxiety at a relatively stable level within individuals may be beneficial for the caregivers.
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