Psychological Profiles and Resilience in Family Caregivers of People with Dementia: A Latent Profile Analysis

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Abstract

Background/Objectives: Family caregivers of individuals with dementia are at heightened risk for psychological distress, yet their experiences are heterogeneous. Depression, anxiety and psychological well-being may co-occur in distinct constellations and socio-economic resources such as education and income may shape resilience. This study aimed to identify latent psychological profiles among dementia caregivers and to explore whether education and income buffer the impact of affective symptoms on well-being. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 73 family caregivers of dementia patients attending the Neurology-Psychiatry Department of C.F.2 Clinical Hospital, Bucharest (November 2023–April 2024). Participants completed the PHQ-9 (depression), COVI Anxiety Scale and Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scales. Care recipients’ cognitive status was extracted via the MMSE. Data were analyzed using Gaussian Mixture Modeling for latent profile analysis (LPA), one-way ANOVAs, Pearson correlations and moderation analyses testing education and income as buffers. Results: LPA supported a five-profile solution: (1) moderate depression with elevated anxiety (29%), (2) severe combined depression and anxiety (15%), (3) moderate depression with low anxiety (26%), (4) low depression with severe anxiety (11%) and (5) moderately severe depression with very severe anxiety (19%). Group differences were large for both depression (η² = .68) and anxiety (η² = .81). Depression correlated weakly but significantly with lower autonomy (r = .24) and self-acceptance (r = .25). Education and income did not significantly moderate the association between affective symptoms and well-being, though higher education was positively associated with overall well-being. Conclusions: Dementia caregivers present heterogeneous psychological profiles, ranging from moderate to severe distress. While socio-economic resources did not significantly buffer symptom impacts, higher education emerged as a potential resilience factor. Findings highlight the need for individualized screening and tailored interventions to support caregiver mental health.

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