the variables involved. Thus, Rabinowitz^[@r14]^ in his work, advocates the use of self- efficacy as a screening tool for appropriate caregiver intervention assignment, a factor that could also contribute in futures studies.

The present study was conducted in the Behavioral Neurology Outpatient Clinic (ANCP in the Portuguese acronym) of the University Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto (HCFMRP) which is a multidisciplinary entity that has attended more than 1,400 patients to date, more than half of whom are persons with dementia who live with their family and have their spouse or one of their children as a caregiver. In view of this, the ANCP organized a multiprofessional service aimed at caregivers of persons with dementia, called Groups For Dementia Caregivers (GC) and devised the present studyto compare the psychosocial characteristics, quality of life and caregiver overload in a Group For Dementia Caregivers (GC) with caregivers not involved in this service (non--GC).

Methods
=======

The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Institution and was specifically conducted on the clientele of ANCP, University Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, from May to June 2003.

Casuistic
---------

The participants in the study were primary caregivers whose patients had received a diagnosis of dementia at the ANCP outpatient unit. They were divided into two groups, one of which received intervention (GC, 79% women and 21% men) while the other was used as a control (Non-GC, 92% women and 7.7% men). The GC consisted of 19 caregivers who voluntarily agreed to adhere to