The personality traits of family caregivers of individuals with dementia: The effects of social anxiety, social phobia, and caregiving hours

Background and Aim of Study: Caring for individuals afflicted with dementia engenders substantial demands and responsibilities for caregivers, encompassing the extensive time allocation devoted to the care recipient on a daily basis. Furthermore, the psychological attributes inherent in informal caregivers, encompassing traits like social anxiety and social phobia, can exert an influence on the evolution of their personal dynamics over time. This phenomenon potentially yields repercussions for how caregivers offer guidance and assistance to elderly individuals grappling with dementia, particularly in relation to their fundamental daily activities and instrumental tasks. The aim of the study: to analyze the predictive effect of social anxiety and social phobia as psychological characteristics of caregivers, along with the impact of caregiving hours as caregiving-related characteristics, on caregivers’ personality. Material and Methods: This observational and cross-sectional study comprised a sample of 97 participants serving as primary family caregivers completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Big Five Inventory, the Anxiety Scale in Social Interaction Situations, and the Social Phobia Scale. Results: The findings revealed that social phobia demonstrated significant predictive power for Openness (β=-0.199; p=0.016) and Extraversion (β=-0.136; p=0.024), whereas the daily caregiving hours negatively affected Conscientiousness (β=-0.145; p=0.011), Agreeableness (β=-0.137; p=0.040), Openness (β=-0.210; p=0.011), and Extraversion (β=-0.175; p=0.003). Conversely, social anxiety did not prove to be a significant variable. Conclusions: The presence of social phobia or higher hours devoted to caregiving for individuals with dementia are factors that impact personality functioning and should be considered in the planning of support programs for family caregivers.