Kelland, Charlotte (2023). Living with aggression: exploring the experiences of spouses caring for a partner with dementia. University of Birmingham. Clin.Psy.D.
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Kelland2023ClinPsyD_Redacted.pdf
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Abstract
Introduction: There is a growing interest in how different aspects of dementia can impact on the relationship continuity between people with dementia (PWD) and their spouses. One area that has received little attention is the impact of dementia-related aggressive behaviours. This study therefore aimed to examine how aggressive behaviours in dementia can undermine the relationship between PWD and their spousal caregivers, using relationship continuity as a framework. It further sought to examine what factors may moderate this impact.
Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven spousal caregivers of PWD who were displaying dementia-related aggressive behaviours. The interviews were analysed using a Reflexive Thematic Analysis technique (Braun & Clark, 2022).
Results: Findings demonstrate that aggressive behaviours in dementia can result in a loss of love and affection between the couple, and greater feelings of hostility. Different responses to the aggression could be explained by how individuals made sense of the aggression, and how far removed these were from the pre-dementia relationship. Developing a better understanding of the aggression and learning effective ways to manage behaviours was found to be protective of the relationship.
Conclusions: This study indicates that relationship continuity between PWD and their spousal caregivers can be negatively impacted by aggression. However, the study also detected different factors that can moderate this impact, and ways in which couples can preserve relationship continuity under challenging circumstances. Further research is needed to provide a richer understanding of this phenomenon.
| Type of Work: | Thesis (Doctorates > Clin.Psy.D.) | ||||||
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| Award Type: | Doctorates > Clin.Psy.D. | ||||||
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| Licence: | All rights reserved | ||||||
| College/Faculty: | Colleges (2008 onwards) > College of Life & Environmental Sciences | ||||||
| School or Department: | School of Psychology | ||||||
| Funders: | None/not applicable | ||||||
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology | ||||||
| URI: | http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/14181 |
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