The problem with “problem behaviors”: a systematic review of the association between individual patient behavioral and psychological symptoms and caregiver depression and burden within the dementia patient–caregiver dyad

The evidence is not conclusive as to whether some symptoms are more important than others. The studies reviewed were largely exploratory relative to the differential impact of individual BPSDs and did not focus on testing causal mechanisms by which specific symptoms exert more impact on caregiver mental health than others. Future research may benefit from the re-conceptualization of BPSDs from the perspective of their impact on the caregiver to examine hypothesis-driven differences among BPSD symptom clusters.