Abstract: Objective: To analyze the heterogeneous trajectories of caregiving burden among primary caregivers of elderly Alzheimer Disease patients and explore influencing factors, to provide references for optimizing care management and formulating targeted intervention measures. Methods: A total of 222 caregivers from a tertiary grade A hospital in Zhejiang province selected by convenience sampling method were surveyed from January 2022 to January 2024 using standardized questionnaires on demographics, caregiver burden, anxiety, family resilience, and benefit finding. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 1, 3, 6, and 9 months after caregiving began. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify burden trajectories, Logistic regression was used to analyze influencing factors. Results: Of the participants, 198 completed all follow-ups. Three distinct burden trajectories were identified: slow growth (41.92%), rapid growth (35.35%), and stable burden (22.73%). Disease stages of patient, caregiver's age, anxiety, family resilience, and benefit finding were influencing factors of trajectories (P<0.05). Conclusion: Caregiving burden among Alzheimer Disease caregivers shows heterogeneous changes over time. Early identification and intervention can be conducted based on influencing factors.

Key words: Alzheimer Disease; caregiver burden; trajectory; latent class growth