Caregiving burden and psychiatric morbidity in spouses of persons with mild cognitive impairment.

Background: While the deleterious psychosocial and mental health effects of dementia caregiving are firmly established, very little is known about the burdens or psychiatric outcomes of providing care to a spouse with less severe cognitive impairment, such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We characterized the nature and level of caregiver burden and psychiatric morbidity in spouses of persons diagnosed with MCI.

Methods: Interview assessments were completed on a cohort of 27 spouses of persons with a recent diagnosis of MCI.