A relationship-focused investigation of spousal psychological adjustment to dual-sensory loss

Lehane, Christine M.; Elsass, Peter; Hovaldt, Hanna Birkbak; Dammeyer, Jesper

doi:10.1080/13607863.2016.1268091

Cited by 17 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Research on caregiving dyads generally focuses on spousal relationship quality and according to Lehane et al (2018a) research and consistent with previous studies (Lehane et al, 2017a,b;Hofsoe et al, 2018) spousal relationships in a DSI context may experience significant strain. Using the relationship intimacy model, this study measured relationship satisfaction, perceived support and psychological well-being in 45 spouses of older adults with DSI, demonstrating that interpersonal communication and perceived support were associated with improved psychological well-being.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…Irrespective of the nature of the care-giving relationship, the adoption of the care-giving role in a potentially already strained relationship will impose additional interpersonal tensions and suggests that understanding DSI as a collective experience, as suggested by Lehane et al (2018a) has the potential to offer more targeted support strategies for the family carer and improve quality of life for both. Given that family carers assume the bulk of care-giving responsibilities, this lends weight to the current focus of our study where the effects of DSI are considered a shared experience.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effort of Caring: The Caregivers’ Perspective of Dual Sensory Impairment

et al. 2020

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Aim: To explore the social experiences of Dual Sensory Impairment (DSI) for older Australian adults from the perspective of their family carers. Background: DSI in older adults is a chronic progressive disability with varying combined degrees of vision and hearing loss. Prevalence increases with age and is particularly high in those > 85 years of age. Older persons with DSI experience a range of functional, social and emotional health issues and are considered a vulnerable group. Family carers fulfill complex multiple roles and provide the majority of care and support to this group. Caregiving and care-receiving are reported as demanding and stressful for both. Together, both spousal and mother-daughter dyads experience a range of social consequences as a result of DSI which are under-reported in the DSI literature. Design: Qualitative study design using Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM). Methods: This manuscript is part of a doctoral study. A total of 23 qualitative in-depth interviews with older Australians with DSI and their family carers were conducted over eighteen months. This manuscript reports on eight of those interviews (the caregivers) and explores the experiences of caregivers in the context of their relationship with their partner or parent with DSI. Data were analyzed using the inductive constant comparative method to systematically categorize emergent themes in order to develop a grounded theory. Findings: This qualitative study reports on the social experiences of the family carer in the context of DSI, and identified social isolation, social effort and negotiating relationships as key themes. These common social effects interrupt personal and external social networks and have a pervasive, often negative impact on social relations and the care relationship itself. Conclusion: The experience of living with DSI is underexplored from a caregiver's perspective. Few studies explore the perspective of the family carer and the impact of their family member's DSI on their immediate relationships and social experiences. This report draws on the experiences of eight family carers and identifies three main

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effort of Caring: The Caregivers’ Perspective of Dual Sensory Impairment

et al. 2020

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“…A few recent articles have described the experiences of being the partner of someone who has dual sensory loss (i.e., concurrent hearing and vision loss) (Lehane et al, 2017a(Lehane et al, ,b, 2018. These studies have focused mainly on members of the aging population and the challenges they face due to the changed way of communication and the effects on their wellbeing or sexuality.…”

Section: Family Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

Health-Related Quality of Life, Family Climate and Sense of Coherence of Families in Which a Parent Has Deafblindness

et al. 2020

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Introduction: The consequences of living with deafblindness can be vast and have been described as concerning difficulties with communication, restrictions in the activities of daily living and a lack of independence. Deafblindness has also been associated with poor health-related quality of life. Little is known about parenting when having deafblindness or how the health and family climate of families in which a parent has deafblindness are affected. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe the health-related quality of life, sense of coherence and family climate in families where a parent has a deafblindness. Methods: A total of 38 individuals, of which 14 were parents with deafblindness and 6 were partners to the parent with deafblindness, and 18 children, were included. The participants answered questionnaires about their health-related quality of life, family climate and sense of coherence (comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness). The Swedish age-relevant versions of the questionnaires were used. Due to the small number of participants, descriptive statistics were used to explore the results from the questionnaires. Results: The results revealed a pattern indicating that the health-related quality of life was affected, parents with deafblindness reported the poorest health-related quality of life. Sense of coherence was reported by all the family members as either moderate or low. The Family climate questionnaire revealed the positive aspect of closeness across family members, however negative aspects of chaos and expressiveness in the families were reported, mainly by, but not restricted to, the parents with deafblindness. Discussion: This study includes a small sample, too small to draw far-reaching conclusions. However, some interesting results need to be highlighted and discussed. When considering the family as a system, it is reasonable to assume that the family members contribute in different ways to how health and wellbeing is experienced in the

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“…Facing the progressive loss of hearing and/or vision has been reported as a distressing and life-altering experience not only for OAWSLs but also for their spouses (Lehane, Dammeyer, & Elsass, 2017). Indeed, it can be expected that each spouse’s ability to adjust to the sensory loss may depend on the support that they receive from one another, or the lack thereof (Lehane, Elsass, Hovaldt, & Dammeyer, 2016). Previous research on couples’ adjustment to sensory loss has reported mixed results regarding the link between supportive behaviors from one’s spouse and mental health outcomes.…”

Section: Spouse Support and Its Association With Couples’ Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%