First Advisor

David L. Morgan

Term of Graduation

Spring 1991

Date of Publication

Spring 5-31-1991

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Urban Studies

Department

Urban Studies

Language

English

Subjects

Alzheimer's disease -- Diagnosis, Caregivers

Physical Description

1 online resource (3, viii, 163 pages)

Abstract

This study investigated the family caregivers' role in seeking early diagnosis for Alzheimer's Disease (A. D.) patients within the theoretical framework of the Health Belief Model (HBM). The research question was why some family caregivers sought diagnosis for their A. D. family members in the presence of mild symptoms while other caregivers delayed seeking diagnosis until severe symptoms had occurred.

Focus-group interviews were conducted to gather data. Participants were family caregivers whose family members had been diagnosed by the A. D. diagnostic units of the Good Samaritan Hospital, Portland, Oregon as having A. D. or related disorder. Participants were divided into mild symptom or severe symptom group according to the symptom conditions of the patients when diagnosed. A survey was also conducted at the focus group interview.

Data analysis included the use of the Pearson's correlation, T-test, factor analysis, and multiple linear regression techniques to compare the two groups for the differences in the effects of various factors for the quantitative part, and content analysis of a number of key factors facilitating or inhibiting diagnosis for the qualitative part.

The result of the quantitative data analysis showed that the care receivers' ability to manage their instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) was the strongest predictor of the timing of diagnosis seeking. The quantitative data analysis also showed that negative comments on the family members were highly significant in predicting the timing of diagnosis.

The qualitative data analysis confirmed that perceived seriousness and benefits and barriers in the HBM were useful concepts in understanding health decision making, yet the model lacked caregiver's, the family's, and other perspectives when dealing with health decision making by a third person. In addition, the content analysis showed that social networks and the health care delivery system were very important factors affecting family's diagnosis seeking for the care receiver. This meant that models that dealt with third person health decision making situations should include these two factors. This study also presented an expanded model of family caregiver's diagnosis seeking for the A. D. patients based on the HBM.

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Comments

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Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43205

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