The Role of Sexual Disinhibition to Predict Caregiver Burden and Desire to Institutionalize Among Family Dementia Caregivers

Abstract

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia are associated with greater caregiver burden and desire to institutionalize, though previous work largely examines the cumulative effects of many behavioral symptoms. Sexual disinhibition could be particularly stressful due to stigma attached to these behaviors. Links between care recipient sexual disinhibition, caregiver burden, and caregiver desire to institutionalize were examined by analyzing cross-sectional data from 730 family caregivers recruited online. Caregiver burden, caregiver desire to institutionalize, and neuropsychiatric symptoms, including sexual disinhibition, were assessed via caregiver report. Burden (P < .001) and desire to institutionalize ( P = .008) were greater among caregivers who endorsed sexual disinhibition. Sexual disinhibition uniquely predicted desire to institutionalize after accounting for presence ( P = .02) and severity ( P = .03) of other neuropsychiatric symptoms. A similar pattern was seen for burden (presence P < .04; severity P = .06), and follow-up analyses revealed caregiver burden mediated the relationship between care recipient sexual disinhibition and caregiver desire to institutionalize (presence bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals [BCa95% CI] [0.003, 0.08], severity BCa95% CI [0.007, 0.06]). Sexual disinhibition appears to be a particularly difficult neuropsychiatric symptom for the family caregiver, contributing to desire to institutionalize via caregiver burden.