Carparelli, Chiara (2024). Person-centred care and relationship continuity in spousal relationships. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.
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Carparelli2024PhD.pdf
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Abstract
Objective: The purpose of the thesis was to explore the applicability of the concept of person-centred care (PCC) to the care provided by spouses/partners to people living with dementia and to explore whether perceptions of continuity within the relationship influence how person-centred the care is. With a view to laying the foundations for future interventions aimed at enhancing PCC within the home setting, the thesis also provides a systematic review of evidence about the effectiveness of educational interventions in enhancing PCC.
Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used, including a qualitative study exploring the variations across spousal carers in terms of how person-centred their care is when supporting their partner with everyday tasks and a mixed-methods study investigating whether spousal carers’ experiences of relationship continuity is associated with providing a more person-centred approach to care. In the systematic review, few studies involving family carers were found and so the review focused on educational interventions for staff working in dementia services.
Results: Overall, the findings from the systematic review found that there was little evidence that educational interventions alone can provide reliable and substantial improvements in the delivery of PCC in staff. Study 2 suggested that the ideas of PCC are applicable to spousal carers and that there is a significant variability in the degree to which they exhibit PCC. Participants reported little awareness of the concept of person-centred care and little guidance and support from services about how best to provide care. The mixed-methods study (Study 3) found that perceptions of continuity in the relationship were associated with significantly more frequent references to a person-centred approach to care (rho=.39; p=.04).
Conclusion: Spouses/partners do not always provide care that is person-centred and there is scope for improving their understanding of best practice and for providing better support and guidance about how they can best provide care. The systematic review suggested that educational interventions alone may not be adequate for improving the quality of care, and the provision of information needs to be supplemented with other interventions. Focusing on the quality of the relationship, and specifically perceptions of continuity within the relationship, may provide one way forward.
| Type of Work: | Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.) | |||||||||
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| Award Type: | Doctorates > Ph.D. | |||||||||
| Supervisor(s): |
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| Licence: | All rights reserved | |||||||||
| College/Faculty: | Colleges > College of Life & Environmental Sciences | |||||||||
| School or Department: | School of Psychology | |||||||||
| Funders: | Other | |||||||||
| Other Funders: | Alzheimer's Society | |||||||||
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology | |||||||||
| URI: | http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/14632 |
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