Reactions to caring for a spouse or partner with dementia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Are perceptions of relationship continuity associated with emotional responses to providing care to a spouse with dementia?
IRAS ID
117151
Contact name
L J Evans
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Research summary
A number of qualitative studies have suggested that the carer’s perception of their relationship with a spouse who has dementia can influence their emotional reaction to the caregiving role. Specifically, those who perceive the relationship to be a continuation of a loving, meaningful and valued relationship may have a more positive emotional response to their role as a carer; whereas those who perceive discontinuity in the relationship may experience more negative reactions (such as feeling trapped and resentful). The proposed research is a quantitative investigation of these ideas, using the Birmingham Relationship Continuity Measure to assess the spouse’s perception of continuity in the relationship; the Zarit Burden Scale as a measure of the negative emotional responses to the caregiving role; and the Positive Aspects of Caring Scale to measure positive emotional responses.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/WM/0293
Date of REC Opinion
31 Dec 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion