4.5 Article

The use of psychological network analysis in informal dementia care: an empirical illustration

Journal

AGING & MENTAL HEALTH
Volume 27, Issue 9, Pages 1780-1789

Publisher

ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2022.2134294

Keywords

Informal care; network analysis; dyadic adjustment; burden; dementia

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This study utilized psychological network analysis to explore the relationships between caregivers and partners with dementia. The results revealed a complex network of interacting variables, with dyadic adjustment playing a central role and distress being associated with other variables through various direct and indirect pathways.
Objective: Theoretical models in informal dementia care have been developed to understand how risk and protective factors interact to cause caregiver's distress. The development of psychological network analysis provides a rich complement to our current models, as explores how different variables (or nodes) are associated using graph theories. Methods: The present study explored the use of network analysis using data from 125 informal caregivers of their partner with dementia (PwD). The included variables were recipient's dependency, self-efficacy, conflict within the family, dyadic adjustment, and caregiver's distress. Results: The analysis suggests a complex network of interacting variables. The core variable was not the caregiver's distress but rather their dyadic adjustment with their PwD. Variables were associated with caregiver distress through a large array of direct and indirect pathways and were associated with each other in the form of an asymmetric spider's web.Conclusion: The results show the complex interplay of variables in a psychological network. The central role of distress suggests a complex and dynamic role, notably through a bidirectional influence with quality of interactions. In the same way, quality of interactions appeared as one of the strongest nodes, its connectivity suggesting a crucial role to consider in our models and interventions.

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