Other Titles
Network analysis of behavioral psychological symptoms of dementia among older adults with dementia and gender differences [Poster Title]
Abstract
Background and objectives: Older adults with dementia frequently experience a variety of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), which significantly diminish their quality of life, impose a heavy burden on their caregivers, and present major challenges for healthcare professionals in managing them. This study aimed to investigate BPSD in older adults with dementia through network analysis and to explore gender differences in symptom manifestation.
Research design and Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted using datasets from two previous studies by the research team. This study included data from 213 older adults with dementia aged 60 and older. BPSD was assessed using the Korean version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, which evaluates 12 symptoms. Network analysis was employed to examine the structure and interconnections among these symptoms. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 27.0 and Google Colab with Python.
Results: While apathy, irritability, and anxiety had the highest mean scores, network analysis revealed that agitation/aggression and irritability were the most central symptoms, regardless of their mean scores. The strongest connection was between agitation/aggression and irritability. In our gender-specific networks, males exhibited a more dispersed and interconnected network, with agitation/aggression emerging as the highest centrality symptom, connected to most other symptoms. Conversely, females displayed a more centralized network, with agitation/aggression, anxiety, irritability, and aberrant motor behavior as the dominant symptoms with the highest centrality.
Discussion and Implications: This study is novel in applying network analysis to BPSD and is the first to explore gender differences within these networks. The findings highlight the critical role of agitation, aggression, and irritability, emphasizing the need for clinical assessment and interventions tailored to these symptoms with a gender-sensitive approach. Specifically, broader, multi-symptom interventions for males and key-symptom-focused interventions for females could effectively manage BPSD. Interventions informed by a deeper understanding of BPSD dynamics would have the potential to enhance the quality of life for both older adults with dementia and their caregivers.
Notes
References:
Bringmann, L. F., Albers, C., Bockting, C., Borsboom, D., Ceulemans, E., Cramer, A., ... & Wichers, M. (2022). Psychopathological networks: Theory, methods and practice. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 149, 104011.
Pinyopornpanish, K., Soontornpun, A., Wongpakaran, T., Wongpakaran, N., Tanprawate, S., Pinyopornpanish, K., ... & Pinyopornpanish, M. (2022). Impact of behavioral and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease on caregiver outcomes. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 14138.
Watt, J. A., Porter, J., Tavilsup, P., Chowdhury, M., Hatch, S., Ismail, Z., ... & Seitz, D. (2024). Guideline Recommendations on Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: A Systematic Review. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.
Sigma Membership
Lambda Alpha at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Long-term Care, Public and Community Health, Older Adults, Aged, Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia, BPSD
Recommended Citation
Cho, Eunhee; Lee, SangA; Hwang, Sinwoo; Cho, Jungwon; Yang, Minhee; and Kim, Eunkyo, "Network Analysis of Behavioral Psychological Symptoms of Dementia Among Older Adults With Dementia" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 148.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/posters_2025/148
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Network Analysis of Behavioral Psychological Symptoms of Dementia Among Older Adults With Dementia
Seattle, Washington, USA
Background and objectives: Older adults with dementia frequently experience a variety of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), which significantly diminish their quality of life, impose a heavy burden on their caregivers, and present major challenges for healthcare professionals in managing them. This study aimed to investigate BPSD in older adults with dementia through network analysis and to explore gender differences in symptom manifestation.
Research design and Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted using datasets from two previous studies by the research team. This study included data from 213 older adults with dementia aged 60 and older. BPSD was assessed using the Korean version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, which evaluates 12 symptoms. Network analysis was employed to examine the structure and interconnections among these symptoms. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 27.0 and Google Colab with Python.
Results: While apathy, irritability, and anxiety had the highest mean scores, network analysis revealed that agitation/aggression and irritability were the most central symptoms, regardless of their mean scores. The strongest connection was between agitation/aggression and irritability. In our gender-specific networks, males exhibited a more dispersed and interconnected network, with agitation/aggression emerging as the highest centrality symptom, connected to most other symptoms. Conversely, females displayed a more centralized network, with agitation/aggression, anxiety, irritability, and aberrant motor behavior as the dominant symptoms with the highest centrality.
Discussion and Implications: This study is novel in applying network analysis to BPSD and is the first to explore gender differences within these networks. The findings highlight the critical role of agitation, aggression, and irritability, emphasizing the need for clinical assessment and interventions tailored to these symptoms with a gender-sensitive approach. Specifically, broader, multi-symptom interventions for males and key-symptom-focused interventions for females could effectively manage BPSD. Interventions informed by a deeper understanding of BPSD dynamics would have the potential to enhance the quality of life for both older adults with dementia and their caregivers.
Description
This study investigated the structure and interconnections of BPSD in older adults with dementia using network analysis and expanded analysis seeking for gender differences. Agitation/aggression and irritability emerged as the most central and strongly connected symptoms.