Who internalizes courtesy stigma and how? A study among Israeli Arab family caregivers of persons with dementia

Affiliate Stigma among family caregivers of individuals with dementia in China: a cross-sectional study

Background

Affiliate stigma experienced by family caregivers of individuals with dementia may seriously affect home care and prognosis of these patients. This study aimed to explore the levels of perceived affiliate stigma and its influencing factors among family caregivers of patients with dementia in mainland China, which remains a relatively unexplored topic.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, purposive sampling was used to recruit dementia family caregivers from an online communication group between April and May 2022. A total of 727 eligible caregivers were included and asked to complete the demographic questionnaire, the affiliate stigma scale, and the caregiver burden inventory. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression were used to explore the factors that influence perceived affiliate stigma among dementia family caregivers.

Results

The mean score for affiliate stigma of dementia family caregivers was 48.09 ± 16.38 (range: 22-86). Whether there were regular breaks during patient care, time-dependent burden, developmental burden, physical burden, and social burden were significant factors influencing the affiliate stigma of dementia family caregivers.

Conclusion

Dementia family caregivers showed a moderate to high level of affiliate stigma. Those who had regular breaks during patient care, higher time-dependent burden, developmental burden, and physical burden and lower social burden exhibited higher levels of affiliate stigma.

The shadow of dementia: Listening to undecidability in ethnographic interviews with persons suspecting possible dementia

Even before a diagnosis of dementia, people may negotiate in their everyday lives the fears and suspicions about the possibility of a future with dementia. My field of research involves JewishIsraeli older adult individuals who suspect that they are beginning to lose their memory, but before seeking out a formal diagnosis-and when not seeking a diagnosis at all is an equal possibility. By distinguishing their experience of suspecting possible dementia from this of living with dementia, I attempt to illuminate the social, bio-diagnostic and cultural shadows of dementia hovering in the background of their everyday experience. I begin by shedding light on the ethical and methodological context of my specific field in Israel. I next reflect upon the concept of "shadow," that is constituted within and reflecting the assemblages of lurking presences accompanying my interlocutors' daily negotiations of the possibility of dementia. I then situate their lived experiences, as well as my ethnographic engagement with them, in the context of the prevailing cultural and social moralities surrounding this possibility. Finally, I show how a negotiation of the place that this shadow occupies in their lives arises in the encounter with the ethnographer. This first account of people before diagnosis and not through the diagnostic event, while keeping the space for deciding about a possible future of diagnosis open, can contribute to the understanding of undecidability as an ethical stance in ethnography, incorporating the suspension of the need to order realities through the imperatives of a diagnosis of dementia. Further, understanding these mundane negotiations with these shadows can help us allow more space for uncertainty and unpredictability as legitimate forms of living with dementia.

The mediating effect of social support and coping strategies on the relation between family stigma and caregiver burden among Israeli Arab family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease (AD)

OBJECTIVES

Many studies have attempted to identify the factors that are associated with caregiver burden among family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease (AD), because of its plethora of negative consequences. One unique factor that has been investigated recently is family stigma. However, the path leading from family stigma to caregiver burden has not been thoroughly studied. Hence, this study had two main objectives. The first was to examine whether family stigma was a predictor of caregiver burden among Israeli Arab family caregivers of a person with AD. The second was to examine the interplay of family stigma and caregiver burden with coping strategies and social support.

METHODS

Structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 175 Israeli Arab family caregivers (adult children and spouses) of elderly people with AD (87.4% female; 71.4% adult children; mean age = 54.28).

RESULTS

Overall, the participants reported moderate levels of caregiver burden and family stigma. Additionally, as expected, family stigma made a unique - although modest - contribution to the explanation of caregiver burden. Whereas neither problem-focused coping nor emotion-focused coping played a significant role in mediating the relation between family stigma and caregiving burden, social support did mediate the relation between these variables.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reveal how social support is important as a specific way to reduce the impact of family stigma on caregiver burden.

Analysis of family stigma and socioeconomic factors impact among caregivers of patients with early- and late-onset Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia

To the best of our knowledge, there are no research studies about socioeconomic factors, family stigma, and their psychological impact on early-onset dementia caregivers. We assessed the impact of family stigma and socioeconomic factors on psychological outcomes, quality of life (QoL), and caregiver burden among 150 caregivers of patients with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease due to E280A mutation in presenilin 1 (EOAD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD). Caregivers of patients with EOAD presented a higher frequency of socioeconomic risk factors. Caregivers of FTD presented higher levels of family stigma and a higher prevalence of negative outcomes. We found family stigma to be a more suitable predictor of all outcomes. After adjusting for the type of dementia, dementia stage and behavioral changes, and caregiver age and education, family stigma was the most important factor associated with a higher risk of caregiver burden and a reduction in QoL in terms of energy fatigue and emotional wellbeing among early-onset dementia caregivers.

Examining the mediating effect of psychosocial resources on the relationship between ambivalent feelings and depression among Israeli Arab family caregivers of people with dementia

Objectives

Providing care for family members of individuals with dementia can be accompanied by a myriad of emotions, usually involving negative as well as positive feelings, or “ambivalent feelings.” Recent studies conducted among family caregivers of people with dementia have shown ambivalent feelings to be associated with serious psychological consequences, such as increased depression. However, little is known about the path leading from ambivalent feelings to depression. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the interplay of ambivalent feelings and depression with family caregivers’ psychosocial resources—that is, their coping strategies and social support.

Methods

A cross-sectional study using face-to-face interviews (via structured questionnaire) was conducted with 175 Israeli Arab family caregivers (adult children and spouses) of elderly people with Alzheimer’s disease (87.4% female; 72% adult children; mean age = 54.28).

Results

Overall, the participants reported a mild level of depression (mean = 7.93; SD = 4.30; range 0–15) and a moderate level of ambivalent feelings (mean = 1.63; SD = 1.04; range 0–3). Additionally, as expected, ambivalent feelings made a unique—although modest—contribution, adding an additional 6% ( p < 0.001) to the explanation of depression ( R2 = 0.56, p<0.001). Whereas, neither problem-focused coping nor emotion-focused coping played a significant role in mediating the relationship between ambivalent feelings and depression, social support did mediate the relationship between these variables.

Conclusions

Our findings show that strengthening and expanding social networks among Israeli caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease can minimize the impact of experiences of emotional feelings on depression.

The Impact of Dementia's Affiliate Stigma on the Mental Health of Relatives: A Cross Section Survey

Objective

To determine the impact of the affiliate stigma on mental well-being of relatives caring for a person with dementia.

Design

The study was conducted in a cross sectional design.

Setting

The study was conducted in a public setting, addressing relatives caring for a person with dementia.

Participants

Participants were relatives of patients with a formal diagnosis of dementia. Relatives were defined as caring or living closely to a patient. Participants were recruited with the help of care and welfare organizations.

Outcome Measures

The main outcome measure was the impact of the affiliate stigma on mental well-being of caring relatives.

Results

228 participants fully completed the survey. Women, relatives with a higher education and partners experienced more impact of the affiliate stigma on mental well-being than man, relatives with a lower education and relatives with another relationship to the person with dementia (resp. F-ratio = 15.67; p = 0.0001; F-ratio = 2.5865; p = 0.0381; F-ratio = 3.1131; p = 0.0099). The duration of dementia and the age of the caregiver had a clear significant effect on affiliate stigma (F-ratio = 4.9104; p = 0.0083) (F-ratio = 6.5515, p = 0.0112).

Conclusion

This study revealed that caregiver related features are predicting the presence of an affiliate stigma. Interventions to prevent or reduce the impact of this stigma might focus on these groups. Education about dementia and the impact on patients, relatives and the broader social context might alter the affiliate stigma surrounding dementia.

Ethnic Differences in Attending a Tertiary Dementia Clinic in Israel

Introduction: Variations in lifestyle, socioeconomic status and general health likely account for differences in dementia disparities across racial groups. Our aim was to evaluate the characteristics of Arab (AS) and Jewish (JS) subjects attending a tertiary dementia clinic in Israel.

Methods: Retrospective data regarding subjects attending the Cognitive Neurology Institute at Rambam Health Care Campus between April 1, 2010, and April 31, 2016, for complaints of cognitive decline were collected from the institutional registry. AS and consecutive JS, aged ≥50 years without a previous history of structural brain disease, were included.

Results: The records of 6,175 visits were found; 3,246 subjects were ≥50 years at the initial visit. One hundred and ninety-nine AS and consecutive JS cases were reviewed. Mean age at first visit was 68.4 ± 8.8 for AS and 74.3 for JS (p < 0.0001). Mean education was 7.7 ± 4.8 years for AS and 11.3 years for JS (p < 0.0001). Mean duration of cognitive complaints prior to first visit did not differ between the groups. Initial complaints of both ethnicities were failing memory (97%) and behavioral changes (59%). Functional impairment was reported by 59% of AS and 45% of JS (p = 0.005). MMSE on first evaluation was 19.2 ± 7 for AS and 23.1 ± 5.9 for JS; p = 0.001. Alzheimer's disease was diagnosed in 32% AS and 23% JS, mild cognitive impairment in 12% AS and 21% JS. Normal cognition was diagnosed in 2% AS and 9% JS; p = 0.0001.

Conclusions: Compared to JS, AS attend a tertiary clinic when their cognitive impairment already affects their functional abilities providing a comprehensive benchmark for social health care interventions to reduce disparities.

The influence of the age of dementia onset on college students' stigmatic attributions towards a person with dementia

Background

Research in the area of public stigma and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is limited to examining stigmatic beliefs towards persons aged 65 and over (i.e., persons with late-onset dementia). The aim of the present study was to compare college students’ stigmatic attributions towards an older and a younger person with AD, using an attributional model of stigma.

Method

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 375 college students (mean age = 25.5, 58.9% female, 64.3% Jewish) who answered a computerized, self-administered, structured questionnaire after being presented with one of two randomly distributed vignettes varying in the age of the person with AD – 80 or 50 years of age. Cognitive, emotional and behavioral attributions of stigma were assessed using an adapted version of the Attribution Questionnaire. Other variables examined included background information, experiences and concerns about developing AD. T-tests and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) hierarchical regressions were used to analyze results.

Results

Similar to previous studies, students’ levels of dementia stigma were low to moderate. Negative attributions were consistently and significantly higher (β = .17 to .33, p < .01), and positive attributions were significantly lower (β = −.26, p < .01) when the target person was younger rather than older.

Conclusion

The differences in stigmatic beliefs towards a younger and older person with AD point to the theoretical and practical importance of clearly stating the age of the target person in stigma studies as well as in programs aimed at reducing public stigma towards persons with AD.