Objective Caregiver burden shows substantial variability across caregiving contexts. This study examined whether caregiver personality traits, particularly neuroticism, moderate the associations between care-recipient factors such as cognitive impairment severity and neuropsychiatric symptoms, and caregiving-related outcomes including overall burden and symptom-related distress.Methods Cross-sectional data from 214 care-recipient and caregiver dyads attending a geriatric psychiatry clinic were analyzed. Cognitive impairment severity was assessed using the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and neuropsychiatric symptoms were measured with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Caregiving-related outcomes were evaluated using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and the NPI distress (NPI-D). Caregiver personality traits were assessed with the Big Five Inventory–Korean version. Linear regression models tested associations between care-recipient factors and caregiving-related outcomes, and multiple linear regression models examined moderation by caregiver personality using interaction terms, adjusting for caregiver age, sex, and cohabitation status.Results Caregiver neuroticism significantly moderated the associations between cognitive impairment severity and both overall caregiving burden and symptom-related distress by amplifying these associations (CDR×neuroticism interactions: ZBI, B standard error, SE=7.948 3.387, p=0.020; NPI-D, B SE=4.498 1.383, p=0.001).Conclusion Caregiver neuroticism appears to be a key modifier of how cognitive impairment severity translates into overall caregiving burden and symptom-related distress. Incorporating caregiver personality assessment may improve risk stratification and inform more personalized support approaches for caregivers of individuals with cognitive impairment.
Lee et al. (2026) studied this question.