Identity, mood, and quality of life in people with early-stage dementia

ABSTRACT Background: There is little empirical research regarding the relationships between identity and well-being in people with dementia. The aim of the study was to explore the relationship of identity with mood and quality of life (QoL) in the people in the early stages of dementia. Method: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. Fifty people in the early stages of dementia completed measures pertaining to different aspects of identity, mood, and QoL. Multiple regression analyses were carried out to determine whether it was possible to predict any of the variance in mood and QoL from aspects of identity. Results: It was possible to predict 12.8% of the variance in anxiety, 23.4% of the variance in depression, and 25.1% of the variance in QoL from different aspects of identity. Predictors varied for each dependent variable. Conclusions: Aspects of identity predict a modest proportion of the variance in anxiety, depression, and QoL. This suggests that supporting identity in people with dementia who are experiencing difficulties in this regard might have a positive impact on mood and QoL. However, the majority of the variance in mood and QoL must be accounted for by other variables.

[1]  M. Folstein,et al.  Depression and Alzheimer's disease. , 1989, The American journal of psychiatry.

[2]  L. Clare,et al.  Studying the self in people with dementia: How might we proceed? , 2013, Dementia.

[3]  L. Clare,et al.  Awareness of memory functioning, autobiographical memory and identity in early-stage dementia , 2008, Neuropsychological rehabilitation.

[4]  A. Spector,et al.  Improved quality of life and cognitive stimulation therapy in dementia , 2006, Aging & mental health.

[5]  Laura E. Gibbons,et al.  Assessing Quality of Life in Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment , 2002, Psychosomatic medicine.

[6]  R. Snaith,et al.  The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale , 1983 .

[7]  M. Lawton.  Assessing quality of life in Alzheimer disease research. , 1997, Alzheimer disease and associated disorders.

[8]  M. Kunik,et al.  Anxiety in dementia: a critical review. , 2008, Clinical psychology review.

[9]  H. Bosma,et al.  Are identity styles important for psychological well-being? , 2005, Journal of adolescence.

[10]  B L Miller,et al.  Self awareness and personality change in dementia , 2005, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

[11]  N. Anderson.  Likableness ratings of 555 personality-trait words. , 1968, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[12]  L. Clare,et al.  The impact of dementia on self and identity: a systematic review. , 2010, Clinical psychology review.

[13]  E.,et al.  Self-Discrepancy : A Theory Relating Self and Affect , 2022 .

[14]  J. Ormel,et al.  A validation study of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in different groups of Dutch subjects , 1997, Psychological Medicine.

[15]  L. Flicker.  Dementia Reconsidered: the Person Comes First , 1999, BMJ.

[16]  A D Baddeley,et al.  The autobiographical memory interview: a new assessment of autobiographical and personal semantic memory in amnesic patients. , 1989, Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology.

[17]  R. Gonzalez.  Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences , 2003 .

[18]  P. Thoits.  Multiple identities and psychological well-being: a reformulation and test of the social isolation hypothesis. , 1983, American sociological review.

[19]  L. Teri,et al.  The Pleasant Events Schedule-AD: psychometric properties and relationship to depression and cognition in Alzheimer's disease patients. , 1997, The Gerontologist.

[20]  Rose-Marie Dröes,et al.  Quality of life in dementia in perspective , 2006 .

[21]  L. Clare,et al.  Interventions supporting self and identity in people with dementia: A systematic review , 2011, Aging & mental health.

[22]  Gill Livingston,et al.  Anxiety and depression in family caregivers of people with Alzheimer disease: the LASER-AD study. , 2005, The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

[23]  R. Dröes,et al.  Personalized dementia care: Proven effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in subgroups , 2010, Ageing Research Reviews.

[24]  M. Orrell,et al.  Psychosocial stress and anxiety in senile dementia. , 1996, Journal of affective disorders.

[25]  Xiaoming Zeng,et al.  International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision: It's Coming, Ready or Not , 2011, The health care manager.

[26]  L Thorgrimsen,et al.  Whose Quality of Life Is It Anyway?: The Validity and Reliability of the Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease (QoL-AD) Scale , 2003, Alzheimer disease and associated disorders.

[27]  D I Boomsma,et al.  Regular exercise, anxiety, depression and personality: a population-based study. , 2006, Preventive medicine.

[28]  Robert C. Gardner,et al.  Ethnic stereotypes: Norms on 208 words typically used in their assessment. , 1972 .

[29]  S. Ceniceros.  Alzheimer's disease and depression. , 1998, Psychiatric services.

[30]  U. Neisser.  Five kinds of self‐knowledge , 1988 .

[31]  J. Cohen-Mansfield,et al.  Self-identity in older persons suffering from dementia: preliminary results. , 2000, Social science & medicine.

[32]  S. Arkin.  Student-led exercise sessions yield significant fitness gains for Alzheimer's patients , 2003, American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

[33]  高松 潔,et al.  婦人科入院患者におけるメンタルヘルス : HADS(Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale)を用いた検討 , 2001 .

[34]  M. Berzonsky.  Identity Style and Well-Being: Does Commitment Matter? , 2003 .

[35]  R. Launois,et al.  [Quality of life]. , 1997, Recherche en soins infirmiers.

[36]  Rom Harré,et al.  The Construction and Deconstruction of Self in Alzheimer's Disease , 1992, Ageing and Society.

[37]  A. Bond.  Whose quality of life? , 1997, Critical care nurse.

[38]  Rose-Marie Dröes,et al.  Effects of combined intervention programmes for people with dementia living at home and their caregivers: a systematic review , 2007, International journal of geriatric psychiatry.

[39]  Kristi A. Costabile,et al.  Preserved Knowledge of Self in a Case of Alzheimer's Dementia , 2003 .