Understanding the Illness Experience of Veterans With Dementia

Understanding the Illness Experience of Veterans With Dementia

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: MacNeil , Amanda Marie
Language:English
Published: Cleveland State University / OhioLINK 2021
Subjects:
Psychology
veterans
dementia
illness experience
self-report
perceived measures
depressive symptoms
Online Access:http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1619788545141776
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spelling ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-csu16197885451417762021-08-03T07:17:18Z Understanding the Illness Experience of Veterans With Dementia MacNeil , Amanda Marie Psychology veterans dementia illness experience self-report perceived measures depressive symptoms Not all individuals with dementia (IWDs) experience the progression of their illness similarly. Though recent work has given attention to how IWDs experience the cluster of symptoms in dementia, little work has been conducted with the unique population of veterans with dementia. Stressing the ability of IWDs to self-report and guided by the Stress Process Model for Individuals with Dementia, this study examined the relationships between depressive symptoms and various aspects of the illness experience including objective cognition, perceived memory difficulty, perceived functional difficulty, and dyadic relationship strain. The sample includes IWDs with mild to severe dementia who are veterans (N=69). Significant positive correlations emerged between depressive symptoms and several measures of the illness experience: perceived cognition (r=.48, p<.001), perceived function (r =.43, p<.001), and dyadic relationship strain (r=.32, p=.01). In contrast, objective cognition, measured by a modified version of the Blessed Orientation Memory Concentration test, was not significant (r =-.06, p=.63). A multiple regression found the total variance explained by all independent variables was 32% (R2=.32, F(4,68)=7.58, p<.001), with perceived memory difficulty (B=.26, p<.01) and dyadic relationship strain (B=.25, p=.04) accounting for unique and significant variance in depressive symptoms. Findings add to the literature by showing the importance of IWDs perceptions of their illness and their impact on well-being outcomes. Results also demonstrate the utility and feasibility of including self-reported data from IWDs in research studies. Overall, this study is an exciting first step in addressing the illness experience of the unique population of veterans with dementia. 2021-05-19 English text Cleveland State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1619788545141776 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1619788545141776 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection NDLTD
language English
sources NDLTD
topic Psychology
veterans
dementia
illness experience
self-report
perceived measures
depressive symptoms
spellingShingle Psychology
veterans
dementia
illness experience
self-report
perceived measures
depressive symptoms
MacNeil , Amanda Marie
Understanding the Illness Experience of Veterans With Dementia
author MacNeil , Amanda Marie
author_facet MacNeil , Amanda Marie
author_sort MacNeil , Amanda Marie
title Understanding the Illness Experience of Veterans With Dementia
title_short Understanding the Illness Experience of Veterans With Dementia
title_full Understanding the Illness Experience of Veterans With Dementia
title_fullStr Understanding the Illness Experience of Veterans With Dementia
title_full_unstemmed Understanding the Illness Experience of Veterans With Dementia
title_sort understanding the illness experience of veterans with dementia
publisher Cleveland State University / OhioLINK
publishDate 2021
url http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1619788545141776
work_keys_str_mv AT macneilamandamarie understandingtheillnessexperienceofveteranswithdementia
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