Affiliation:
1. Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
2. Innovations in Seniors’ Care Research Unit, Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Abstract
Little is known about how individual behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) impact the person with dementia. This cross-sectional, retrospective study examined the association between one BPSD, aggressive behavior, and a patient-identified outcome, sadness, among people with moderate and severe dementia (n = 5001) using clinical administrative Resident Assessment Instrument 2.0 data. For people with moderate or severe cognitive impairment, the odds of sadness were significantly higher if verbal aggression was exhibited 4 to 6 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.85, P < .001) or 1 to 3 (aOR = 2.28, P < .001) times per week, or daily (aOR = 1.77, P = .003). People with severe cognitive impairment and who displayed physical aggression either daily (OR = 2.16, P = .002) or 1 to 3 times per week (OR = 1.45, P = .023) also had an increased odds of sadness. Aggression may harm the person with dementia’s mental well-being, depending on the level of cognitive impairment, and type and frequency of aggression. Prospective studies can build on these correlational findings.
Funder
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program
Subject
Psychiatry and Mental health,Geriatrics and Gerontology,Clinical Psychology,General Neuroscience