Community and Mental Health Department, Oman College of Health Sciences, Muscat, Oman.
Adult Health Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan,
Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2021;50(5):498-506. doi: 10.1159/000518715. Epub 2021 Sep 8.
Few studies have explored the associations of agitation symptoms among older adults with core network size and with frequency of contact with core network care providers. The present study aimed to investigate the associations of agitation and affect among older adult people with dementia (PWD) with core network size and frequency of contact with core network care providers.
A convenience sample of 98 Omani older adult PWD residing in their homes was recruited. Most of the participants (63.3%) were female, and the mean age of the participants was 80 years (standard deviation = 9.0). A total of 77 participants suffered from severe dementia, while the remaining 21 had mild to moderate dementia levels. Valid and reliable instruments completed by either the participating PWD or their caregivers were used to measure the study variables.
The main hypothesis of the study was not supported, whereby core network size and frequency of contact with the core network were not found to be significantly associated with activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL (IADL) core networks or agitation and affect. Further, the findings indicated no significant associations between core network size or closeness between PWD and their IADL and ADL caregivers and the amount of ADL and IADL care provided. The level of care provided by the caregivers and the participants' frequency of contact with the core network remained consistent throughout the progress of the dementia patients' conditions.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The findings of this study are incongruent with the findings of studies conducted in Western countries, which have reported that older adults prefer to have meaningful interactions with small, close social networks as opposed to large networks. Our findings may be explained by the strong cultural values in Oman which place great emphasis on caring for elderly family members. It is essential to understand these relationships in order to develop effective home care interventions for older adult PWD in Oman.
很少有研究探讨老年人的激越症状与核心网络规模以及与核心网络照顾者接触频率之间的关系。本研究旨在调查痴呆老年人（PWD）的激越和情感与核心网络规模以及与核心网络照顾者接触频率之间的关系。
本研究采用方便抽样法招募了 98 名居住在其家中的阿曼老年 PWD。大多数参与者（63.3%）为女性，参与者的平均年龄为 80 岁（标准差=9.0）。共有 77 名参与者患有严重痴呆，而其余 21 名参与者患有轻度至中度痴呆。使用经过验证和可靠的工具，由参与的 PWD 或其照顾者完成，以测量研究变量。
该研究的主要假设未得到支持，即核心网络规模和与核心网络的接触频率与日常生活活动（ADL）和工具性日常生活活动（IADL）核心网络或激越和情感没有显著关联。此外，研究结果表明，核心网络规模或 PWD 与其 IADL 和 ADL 照顾者之间的亲密程度与提供的 ADL 和 IADL 护理量之间没有显著关联。照顾者提供的护理水平以及参与者与核心网络的接触频率在痴呆患者病情的进展过程中保持一致。
讨论/结论： 本研究的结果与在西方国家进行的研究结果不一致，后者报告说，老年人更喜欢与小而亲密的社交网络进行有意义的互动，而不是与大网络进行互动。我们的研究结果可以用阿曼的强烈文化价值观来解释，这些价值观非常重视照顾老年家庭成员。了解这些关系对于在阿曼为老年 PWD 制定有效的家庭护理干预措施至关重要。
