title: Emotional reactions toward people with dementia - results of a population survey from Germany.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Emotional reactions toward people with disorders are an important component of stigma process. In this study, emotional reactions of the German public toward people with dementia were analyzed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analyses are based on a national mail survey conducted in 2012. Sample consists of persons aged 18 to 79 years living in private households in Germany. In all 1,795 persons filled out the questionnaire, reflecting a response rate of 78%. Respondents were asked about their emotional reactions and beliefs about dementia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A vast majority of the respondents expressed pro-social reactions, i.e. they felt pity, sympathy, and the need to help a person with dementia. Dementia patients rarely evoked anger (10% or less). Between 25% and 50% of the population showed reactions indicating fear. Respondents who had contacts with a person having dementia or had cared for a dementia patient tended to show less negative reactions (fear, anger) and more pro-social reactions. Respondents who showed pronounced fearful reactions were less likely to believe that dementia patients had a high quality of life, were less willing to care for a family member with dementia at home, and were more skeptical about early detection of dementia. Comparison with the results of another study suggests that fearful reactions toward persons with dementia are much more pronounced than in the case of depression, and less pronounced than in the case of schizophrenia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fearful reactions toward people with dementia are quite common in the German general public. To reduce fear, educational programs and contact-based approaches should be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: von dem Knesebeck
authors.affiliation: Centre for Public Mental Health, Gösing am Wagram, Austria.
authors.forename: Matthias C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Angermeyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lüdecke
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kofahl
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000786:Anger; D001290:Attitude; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D003625:Data Collection; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D004645:Empathy; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis; D057545:Social Stigma; D055815:Young Adult