title: Does vigilance in decision-making matter for dementia family caregivers?
abstract: Family responsibilities and social expectations often prompt conflict in caregivers' decision-making processes. Janis and Mann's (1977) conflict model describes vigilance as high-quality decision-making resulting in optimal outcomes. The purpose of our research was threefold: (1) to describe decision styles in a population of family caregivers of persons with dementia; (2) to examine the socio-economic characteristics associated with caregivers who are more likely to be vigilant decision-makers; and (3) to assess differences in caregiving experiences between vigilant and non-vigilant caregivers.
  
  
  
  Our analysis was based on 639 survey respondents recruited from a university-affiliated memory disorders clinic.
  
  
  
  Our typical caregiver was Caucasian non-Hispanic, was currently married, and had two children. Approximately half of our sample used a 'pure vigilant' decision style. Vigilance was associated with more positive and fewer negative caregiving outcomes.
  
  
  
  Supporting caregivers to become vigilant decision-makers is a functionally viable intervention that could significantly improve the caregiving experience.
authors.affiliation: a Health Management & Policy, College of Public Health, University of Kentucky , Lexington , KY , USA.
authors.forename: Sarah B
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4019-2700
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Wackerbarth
authors.affiliation: b Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University , Statesboro , GA , USA.
authors.forename: Yelena N
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7062-6960
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Tarasenko
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011582:Psychological Theory
keywords: Janis and Mann conflict theory; caregivers; decision support techniques; decision-making; dementia; family