Types of caregivers for people with Alzheimer's disease in the context of their value system and personality traits

BackgroundAssuming the role of a caregiver for a person with Alzheimer's disease entails significant physical and psychological burden. This role is rarely taken on by choice, emerges as the disease progresses in a close family member. The caregiver's values and cultural context may play an important role in the decision to continue providing care. The duration of care and the severity of the disease's symptoms are direct factors contributing to burden, and depression. A caregiver's personality may determine how they respond to stressful situations, while knowledge of their system of values may influence their interpretation of the caregiving role and their psychological well-being. Understanding personality types and value hierarchies may support caregivers in adapting to the situation and alleviating burden.ObjectiveThe aim of our study was to identify caregiver profiles based on their personality traits and preferred value system.MethodsTo distinguish groups of caregivers based on selected psychological characteristics (personality traits, personal values, caregiving involvement, perceived stress, levels of depression), a cluster analysis using the k-means method was conducted.ResultsAnalysis of the results enabled the identification of distinct caregiver profiles, with two predominant patterns emerging in this sample, which differed in their personality traits and value systems.ConclusionsCaregivers with a Balanced-Task-Oriented profile exhibited lower levels of stress and depressive symptoms than those with an Unbalanced-Supportive profile. The results suggest that caregivers guided by a strong value system and higher levels of neuroticism are more susceptible to stress and depression than those with a more stable personality.