Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Gerontologist. 2024 May 1;64(5). doi: 10.1093/geront/gnad146.
Dementia-related anxiety (DRA) is the fear of a current or future diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or another type of dementia. Previous studies suggest diverse factors contribute to DRA, including emotional, social, and cognitive concerns. A mixed-methods investigation was designed to explore DRA's underlying causes; we present a thematic analysis of these causes.
A semistructured qualitative interview design was used to explore participant's thoughts, feelings, and reactions about dementia. Fifty community-dwelling adults (aged 58-89, M = 70.80, SD = 6.02) without dementia diagnoses were interviewed, with a focus on why dementias are anxiety-provoking diagnoses. We engaged in a reflexive inductive thematic approach.
We identified 7 themes positioned within previously established antecedents of DRA. Anticipated consequences were conveyed in statements identifying dementia as a feared diagnosis and its connection to how one would be treated if diagnosed. Low perceived control was associated with dementia's anticipated effects including the ability of dementia to undermine core aspects of one's personhood, limit independence, and increase reliance on others. Perceived risk was connected to past familial experiences with dementia and the implications of receiving different diagnoses with different trajectories and treatments.
Findings offer insight into diverse factors contributing to DRA, which can be used to inform public health messaging and develop applicable and clinically relevant interventions to meet the needs of individuals experiencing DRA and their social support systems.
与痴呆相关的焦虑（DRA）是对当前或未来阿尔茨海默病或其他类型痴呆症诊断的恐惧。先前的研究表明，多种因素导致 DRA，包括情绪、社会和认知方面的担忧。本混合方法研究旨在探讨 DRA 的潜在原因；我们呈现了这些原因的主题分析。
采用半结构式定性访谈设计来探讨参与者对痴呆症的想法、感受和反应。我们对 50 名居住在社区的成年人（年龄 58-89 岁，M=70.80，SD=6.02）进行了访谈，重点是为什么痴呆症是令人焦虑的诊断。我们采用了一种反思性归纳主题的方法。
我们确定了 7 个主题，这些主题位于先前确定的 DRA 前提内。预期后果通过陈述表达出来，这些陈述将痴呆症识别为一个令人恐惧的诊断，并将其与如果被诊断出患有该疾病将如何对待联系起来。低感知控制与痴呆症的预期影响相关，包括痴呆症破坏个人核心方面、限制独立性和增加对他人的依赖的能力。感知风险与过去家族中患有痴呆症的经历以及不同诊断的轨迹和治疗方式的影响有关。
研究结果深入了解了导致 DRA 的多种因素，这些因素可用于为公众健康信息提供信息，并开发适用且具有临床相关性的干预措施，以满足患有 DRA 及其社会支持系统的个体的需求。
