Operationalizing the Concept of Resilience for Dementia Caregiving
Year: 2018
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Caregivers’ (CGs) self-reports of resilience may differ from their actual behaviors. We examined how their perceptions relate to specific, measurable behaviors empirically associated with resilience. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 CGs of people living with dementia (PWD) who had a recent health crisis and measures of CG help-seeking, self-care and problem solving. We empirically assigned a level of resilience based on day-to-day behavior and actions in response to a personalized stress scenario, and compared this with scores on the Brief Resilience Scale. CG self-ratings of resilience were generally high, but behavioral reports did not reflect consistent utilization of resilience promoting behaviors. CGs’ global self-reports of resilience may not be a reliable indicator of what they do under stress. Future resilience interventions should focus on identifying, measuring, and targeting CG behaviors associated with resilience and foster CGs’ understanding of how these behaviors support their ability to “bounce back”.
Source: Innovation in Aging
Institution: University of Washington
Language: English
Topic: Resilience and Mental Health
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,977
OpenAlex ID: W2899704386