Browsing by Author "Deist, Melanie"
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- ItemResilience factors in families caring for a family member diagnosed with dementia(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-03) Deist, Melanie; Greeff, A. P.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Dementia is a chronic illness characterised by the progressive deterioration of cognitive functions. Patients diagnosed with dementia are most often cared for by family members. Families caring for dementia patients are faced with tasks that are physically exhausting and psychologically distressing. Nevertheless, some families show resilience and are able to overcome the adversity of the illness. This study aimed to identify and explore the resilience factors these families utilised to rise above the hardships faced when caring for a demented family member. The study was based on McCubbin and McCubbin’s (1996) Family Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation and Walsh’s (2002, 2003) Family Resilience Framework. A mixed-methods approach was followed to collect data from a convenience sample drawn from the Cape Metropolitan area in the Western Cape, South Africa. The study sample comprised of families in which either a spouse (n = 44) was caring for a partner with dementia or adult children (n = 47) were caring for a parent with dementia. The family resilience factors of these subgroups were explored separately and were compared with each other. The quantitative data analysis was conducted using analyses of variance (ANOVA), Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients, and a best-subsets multiple regression analysis. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis. These analyses revealed that positive communication patterns, acceptance, optimism, family hardiness, family connectedness, and the effective management of symptoms facilitated family adaptation in both the spouse and child subgroups. Negative patterns of communication within the family was the only variable that was inversely related to family adaptation in both family subgroups. The level of adaptation in the different family subgroups did not differ significantly, but the subgroups did differ slightly in terms of their communication patterns, coping strategies and social support avenues utilised. In addition to expanding the current literature regarding family resilience, the body of information collected in this study could be used to help families caring for dementia patients to create a family environment that maximises adjustment and adaptation. The results could also be used in the development and evaluation of intervention programmes tailored to the needs of these family subgroups.