Desire to Institutionalize a Relative With Dementia: Quality of Premorbid Relationship and Caregiver Gender

The quality of the relationship between individuals with dementia and their family caregivers has an impact on important clinical outcomes for both. It is unclear, however, how quality of relationship (QoR) affects caregivers' desire to place their relative in a nursing home. We examined the association of QoR with caregivers' desire to institutionalize (DTI), using a sample of 237 male and female caregivers of community-dwelling individuals with dementia. Findings revealed an interaction between QoR and caregiver gender, with stronger DTI significantly associated with lower QoR for male but not female caregivers. Health care providers should recognize poor QoR as a risk factor for institutionalization, especially among male caregivers.