Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
The male approach to dementia caregiving: an exploratory study. |
| Authors: |
Poisson, Vincent O. (AUTHOR), Poulos, Roslyn G. (AUTHOR), Withall, Adrienne L. (AUTHOR), Reilly, Ann (AUTHOR), Emerson, Leanne (AUTHOR), Huque, Md Hamidul (AUTHOR), O'Connor, Claire M. C. (AUTHOR) |
| Source: |
Aging & Mental Health. May2026, Vol. 30 Issue 5, p976-987. 12p. |
| Subjects: |
Treatment of dementia, Scale analysis (Psychology), Research funding, Focus groups, T-test (Statistics), Masculinity, Spouses, Interviewing, Questionnaires, Descriptive statistics, Motivation (Psychology), Burden of care, Thematic analysis, Social skills, Research, Research methodology, Psychology of caregivers, Comparative studies, Data analysis software, Dementia patients |
| Abstract: |
Most people living with dementia are supported by their spouse and/or an adult child, yet little is known about how husbands and sons approach dementia caregiving. Using an exploratory mixed method design, this study examined male dementia carers': approach to help-seeking; motivations to step-into the carer role; expectations of formal services; and appraisal of carer-burden. Qualitative thematic analysis of (n = 32) semi-structured interviews with male carers suggested that masculinity norms shape the male approach to caregiving, summarised under two themes: 'Help-seeking: The way blokes do it'; and 'Sons approach caregiving differently to husbands'. Findings suggest that males typically seek help at crisis point and expect professionals to provide directive task-focused support to manage the crisis. Husbands were motivated to care, as a commitment to their marriage vows, while sons cared as a form of 'pay-back' to their parents. Husbands articulated functional carer-burden, while sons expressed emotional carer-burden. However, quantitative analysis of (n = 22) responses on the 12-item Zarit Burden Interview scale showed no significant difference in carer-burden scores between husbands and sons. These findings could inform the tailoring of formal services for male carers of people with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
