Discrepancies in dyadic coping: associations with distress and quality of life in couples facing early stage dementia

Abstract

ObjectivesDue to an aging population, the number of persons living with dementia (PWDs) is increasing worldwide. Romantic partners, as informal caregivers (IC) of PWDs, are often adopting additional tasks. The concept of dyadic coping (DC) addresses how couples cope with stress together. For dyadic coping to be successful, efforts of both partners should be equal. The current study examines how discrepancies in PWDs and ICs perspectives on DC relate to distress and quality of life in each partner within couples facing early stage dementia (ESD).MethodsA total of 37 mixed-sex couples including one partner with ESD completed self-report questionnaires. Discrepancies in reciprocity (comparing provided or received levels of DC between partners), equity (each partner balancing own levels received and provided), and congruence (the agreement about levels of DC exchanged between partners) and their covariation with distress and quality of life (QoL) of each partner were measured.ResultsBoth partners indicated a discrepancy in reciprocity: PWDs reported receiving more DC than ICs reported receiving, which was associated with higher QoL in PWDs and lower QoL in ICs. Inequities were found in ICs only, who reported receiving less DC, than providing. No relation between inequities and distress or QoL was found. ICs reported more incongruencies than PWDs did, which was associated with higher QoL and less depression in partners.DiscussionA redivision of tasks and roles in the early stage of dementia is associated with different experiences and views between partners. Whereas ICs take over most household and care tasks within the couple, their effort was considered less helpful by PWDs than by ICs. A high care burden is associated with a compromised quality of ICs’ social life and living conditions. The clinical implications of the results are discussed.

Coping Profiles and Differences in Psychological Distress and Quality of Life in Clients Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Techniques: A Latent Profile Analysis

“…In line with previous findings, 37,38 we found that the clients in the high dyadic coping group reported less psychological distress and better FertiQoL. A possible reason was that clients in high dyadic coping groups might conduct more stress communication with their spouses, receive more support from spouses, and impose less stress on their spouses.…”

Peran Common Dyadic Coping Sebagai Mediator Dalam Hubungan Antara Persepsi Kesetaraan Peran Dan Kepuasan Pernikahan Pada 5 Tahun Pertama Pernikahan

“…Terdapat beberapa faktor yang dapat memprediksi dyadic coping, di antaranya pengalaman belajar, karakteristik dan peran dalam hubungan, serta pengaruh budaya dan gender (Staff et al, 2017). Persepsi kesetaraan peran dapat merepresentasikan faktor karakteristik dan peran dalam hubungan yang dapat memprediksi dyadic coping (Muijres et al, 2023), dan kemudian dapat memprediksi pernikahan yang lebih memuaskan (Falconier et al, 2015).…”