Sadeghi-Mahalli Nasim, Mohammadi-Shahboulaghi Farahnaz, Arsalani Narges, Fallahi-Khoshknab Masoud, Foroughan Mahshid, Atazadeh Musa
Nursing Department, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Aging Ment Health. 2025 Feb;29(2):265-273. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2024.2385453. Epub 2024 Aug 4.
Older spouses are a significant part of family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and need support. Evidence suggests that different factors influence the support of older spousal caregivers. However, there is little evidence about these factors in developing countries like Iran. This study aimed to identify the factors affecting the support of Iranian older spousal caregivers of people with AD.
This qualitative study used Graneheim and Lundman's conventional content analysis approach. Through purposive sampling, 10 caregivers, three family members, and three professionals were recruited from various cognitive clinics and centers. In-depth and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and continued until conceptual saturation was achieved.
Two themes were derived from the data as factors affecting support, which included (1) caregiver's support-seeking (complexity of the patient's condition, caregiver's geriatric health, the burden of caring for a spouse with AD, marital bond quality, caregiver's support-phobic beliefs, caregiver's awareness of care) and (2) capacities of support resources (supportive family, supportiveness of society, formal systems' capability to provide support services).
The present study provided practical information about the factors influencing the support of older spousal caregivers. Healthcare providers and policymakers can use these concepts to improve the support process by strengthening caregivers' support-seeking motivation and enhancing capacities in support resources.
老年配偶是阿尔茨海默病（AD）患者家庭护理者的重要组成部分，他们需要支持。有证据表明，不同因素会影响老年配偶护理者获得的支持。然而，在伊朗这样的发展中国家，关于这些因素的证据很少。本研究旨在确定影响伊朗老年AD患者配偶护理者获得支持的因素。
本定性研究采用格兰海姆和伦德曼的传统内容分析法。通过目的抽样，从各个认知诊所和中心招募了10名护理者、3名家庭成员和3名专业人员。采用深入的半结构式访谈收集数据，访谈持续进行直至达到概念饱和。
从数据中得出两个影响支持的因素主题，包括（1）护理者寻求支持的情况（患者病情的复杂性、护理者的老年健康状况、照顾AD配偶的负担、婚姻关系质量、护理者对支持的恐惧信念、护理者的护理意识）和（2）支持资源的能力（支持性家庭、社会支持度、正式系统提供支持服务的能力）。
本研究提供了关于影响老年配偶护理者获得支持的因素的实用信息。医疗保健提供者和政策制定者可以利用这些概念，通过增强护理者寻求支持的动机和提高支持资源的能力来改善支持过程。
