DEALING WITH DEMENTIA: HOW ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE CAREGIVER-SPOUSES/PARTNERS, PATIENTS, AND CAREGIVERS USE ONLINE SUPPORT GROUPS TO COPE
Date of Award
8-2014
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Mass Communications
Advisor(s)
T. Makana Chock
Keywords
Alzheimer's, Coping, Online support groups
Subject Categories
Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
This dissertation examines how Alzheimer's disease caregiver-spouses/partners, patients, and caregivers use online support groups to cope with the stress of dementia. Using Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress and coping as a theoretical framework, as well as a coding scheme, a content analysis of 568 posts to online support groups for caregiver-spouses/partners, patients, and caregivers was conducted. The differences between the independent variables poster status (i.e., caregiver-spouse/partner, patient, caregiver), poster gender, post length, group participation level, and emoticons and the dependent variables emotion- and problem-focused coping style, coping category, and coping strategies were explored. Analyses for all posts and at the poster group level revealed that posts from caregiver-spouses/partners and caregivers contained more emotion-focused coping than patient posts. Gender, post length, group participation level, and presence of emoticons revealed varied results.
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Recommended Citation
Daley, Linda, "DEALING WITH DEMENTIA: HOW ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE CAREGIVER-SPOUSES/PARTNERS, PATIENTS, AND CAREGIVERS USE ONLINE SUPPORT GROUPS TO COPE" (2014). Dissertations - ALL. 147.
https://surface.syr.edu/etd/147