Background:

Caregiving for a person with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is related to poor caregiver outcomes. Coping strategies adopted by caregivers are known to influence psychological outcomes in other dementia caregiver populations, however, their influence on psychological outcomes in FTD caregivers is poorly understood at present.

Methods:

Questionnaire data for 94 German primary caregivers (mean [M] 59.11 years, 68 females) of FTD care-recipients living in the community (M 63.94, 30 females) were investigated. Standardized measures completed by the caregiver included the Caregiver Strain Index (CSI), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), Quality of Life-Alzheimer’s Disease (QoL-AD), and the Brief Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced (COPE). Care-recipients’ nursing care level was collected as a measure of the intensity of their care needs.

Results:

Mediation analyses showed that the effect of the intensity of care-recipients’ care needs on caregiver well-being depended on caregivers’ experience of strain. High levels of caregiver strain did not predict depression (−0.22, 95% confidence interval CI: [0.16 to 2.04]) but predicted reduced QoL (−0.44, CI: [−1.15 to −.16]). Moreover, caregivers’ experience of strain was exacerbated by their use of dysfunctional coping (β = .21; p = .04), care-recipients’ intensity of care needs (β = .25; p = .01), and fewer financial resources (β = .23; p = .02). In turn, caregivers’ use of dysfunctional coping as a response to their strain increased the levels of depression (0.46, CI: [0.19-0.82]). By contrast, use of problem-focused coping strategies increased caregivers’ QoL (0.10, CI: [0.00 to 0.31]).

Significance:

This study identifies variables amenable to clinical interventions that can improve caregivers’ well-being: specifically, caregiver strain and coping strategies. For a disease without cure yet increasing prevalence and cost, ameliorating the caregiver experience through targeted interventions is essential.