title: Lived Experience of Caregivers of Persons with Dementia and the Impact on their Sense of Self: A Qualitative Study in Singapore.
abstract: The prevalence of dementia is increasing, especially in Asia. Caregivers of people with dementia are at greater risk of psychological morbidity; however, most studies on caregiving have been conducted in Western populations. As a caregiver's experience can be influenced by cultural factors, this needs exploring further. This study explored the lived experience of caregivers of dementia patients in Singapore and the impact of caring on their sense of self. Six Chinese female spousal caregivers were interviewed and their experiences were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Four super-ordinate themes were identified: impact of caregiving, acceptance of destiny, taking control, and view of self. The findings reflected the influence of Confucian values. Clinical implications are discussed, including more culturally sensitive services.
authors.affiliation: JCU Singapore, 149 Sims Drive, Singapore, 387380, Singapore. jane.tuomola@jcu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tuomola
authors.affiliation: JCU Singapore, 149 Sims Drive, Singapore, 387380, Singapore.
authors.forename: Jiaying
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soon
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, 90 Yishun Central, Singapore, 768828, Singapore.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yap
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012846:Singapore; D018454:Spouses / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Caregiver; Culture; Dementia; Interpretative phenomenological analysis