The effect of coping on the caregiver of elderly patients with dementia.

Ninety-eight caregivers of elderly patients with cognitive impairment were surveyed by questionnaires in order to examine the relationship between their coping strategies and subjective burden. Confrontative coping and avoidance coping were significantly associated with their burden. The severity of cognitive impairment and the behavioral problems of the patients were also significantly associated with the caregivers' burden. However, a multiple regression analysis suggested that the caregivers' coping strategies may be more important than the patients' condition in terms of the effects on the burden.