title: Motivational and cognitive pathways to medical help-seeking for Alzheimer's disease: a cognitive impairment response model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Relationships among cognitive and motivational factors in predicting medical help-seeking for Alzheimer's disease (AD) symptoms were tested.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community residents awaiting jury service (N = 280) completed questionnaires, including responses to a vignette depicting prototypical early symptoms of AD in a hypothetical mother. Cognitive responses to the vignette included AD symptom identification and AD attribution. Affective-motivational responses to vignettes were symptom impact and behavior appraisals. General knowledge of AD was assessed. Intention to seek medical help was the dependent variable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The impact and identification of AD symptoms, appraisals of risk, and attribution of the scenario to AD were modest, yet all contributed to prediction of medical-help-seeking intentions. The best fitting model had distinct but interrelated cognitive and motivational paths explaining 49% of the variability in medical help-seeking. Motivational variables had particularly important direct and indirect effects on help-seeking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings are interpreted as evidence of the importance of motivational as well as cognitive aspects of perceptions of illness behavior in another person. The substantial impact of the tested variables on the desired outcome of medical help-seeking may suggest options for public health efforts to enhance early medical help-seeking for AD that sets the stage for early intervention.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. squalls@uccs.edu.
authors: Sara Honn
authors: SH
authors: Qualls
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
authors: Kelli J
authors: KJ
authors: Klebe
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
authors: Kevin
authors: K
authors: Berryman
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
authors: Ashley
authors: A
authors: Williams
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Phillips
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
authors: Heidi
authors: H
authors: Layton
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
authors: Kimberly
authors: K
authors: Hiroto
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
authors: Mary
authors: M
authors: Stephens
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
authors: Lindsay
authors: L
authors: Anderson
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
authors: Megan
authors: M
authors: Rogers
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aging; Alzheimer’s disease; Cognitive impairment; Families.; Help-seeking