A – 111 Loneliness, Depression, Strain, and Perceived Support Among Lewy Body Dementia Family Caregivers

Abstract Objective Analyze associations between loneliness, depression, strain, and perceived support among Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) family caregivers. Method We obtained baseline data from 271 US-dwelling current and past family caregivers of people with LBD (PLBD). Inclusion criteria: ≥18 years old; English-speaking; >10 unpaid weekly hours caring for PLBD or past caregiver to deceased PLBD. Baseline data include: age, gender, race, PLBD symptom duration, Three-Item Loneliness Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-DR), self-reported history of depression, Multidimensional Caregiver Strain Index (MCSI), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) total score and subdomains. Loneliness score and associations were analyzed using non-parametric methods and Spearman correlation coefficient, as appropriate, with alpha error < 0.05. Results Loneliness was inversely associated with age (Spearman -0.17, p = 0.004) and significantly associated with female gender (p = 0.03), self-reported depression (p = 0.002), CES-DR total score (Spearman 0.63, p < 0.0001), and caregiver strain 0.57 (< 0.0001). There were no correlations between loneliness and either race or PLBD symptom duration. Among 196 early, active caregivers—whose PLBD had < 3 years of cognitive symptoms—loneliness inversely correlated with total perceived social support (Spearman -0.49, p < 0.0001) and all subdomains, including that from: significant other (-0.42, < 0.0001), family (-0.39, < 0.0001), and friends (-0.46, < 0.0001). Conclusion Younger age, female gender, depression, and less social support predict loneliness among LBD family caregivers, who face high levels of caregiver strain—itself a predictor of poor caregiver and PLBD outcomes. LBD caregiver interventions that recognize and address depression, social isolation, and loneliness may yield benefits for both caregivers and PLBD.