Model Predicting Positive Aspects of Caregiving Among Family Cares of Persons With Dementia: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.
Doris Sau Fung Yu, Sheung-Tak Cheng, Kevin Shuang Zhou Chen
PMID 40459071WHAT IT FOUND
Family carers of people with dementia reported more positive aspects of caregiving when they had confidence in controlling upsetting thoughts and getting respite, and when they reframed the situation.
Active dementia management strategies did not predict this.
Key findings
01Self-efficacy in controlling upsetting thoughts and obtaining respite predicted higher positive aspects of caregiving at 6 months, but self-efficacy in controlling disturbing behaviours did not.
02Meaning-focused coping predicted higher positive aspects of caregiving at 6 months, and baseline positive aspects of caregiving predicted meaning-focused coping and later positive aspects.
03Active dementia management strategies did not predict positive aspects of caregiving through self-efficacy, and social support did not have a significant moderated mediating effect.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was an observational study of self-reported perceptions, so it cannot show that any factor caused more positive aspects of caregiving. The sample was recruited from a hospital region in Hong Kong and was mostly female adult-child carers, so it may not represent other carers. The model was modified after the original fit was poor, so the tested pathways are partly post hoc. The follow-up was short, and the study was done during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have changed caregiving and support.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The work was funded by the Research Grant Council General Research Fund.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these associations as proof that dementia management strategies or support groups increase positive aspects of caregiving. This was an observational study, not an intervention test, and active dementia management strategies did not predict positive aspects through self-efficacy.