Family caregivers are significant in the care of people with dementia, whilst the changes that occur as a result of dementia impact on both the person with dementia and family caregivers. As this caregiving is set within a significant social relationship, it is important to explore the factors within this social context that may both support and compromise the caregiver. The current thesis sought to explore the impact of social emotions and social identities within this caregiving context. Chapter 1 presents a systematic review of the literature exploring the self-conscious emotions of guilt and shame within the dementia family caregiver. It explores the emotional and cognitive experience of caring for a person with dementia within the context of this social relationship. Broadly, findings highlight the negative influence of the caregiver’s self-conscious emotions, on relationships and connection to the Person with Dementia (PwD) and others. Methodological limitations are outlined with regards the clarity of the results whilst clinical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. Chapter 2 presents a qualitative research investigation exploring the construction of identity in dementia caregivers’ contributions to an online support forum. The analysis focuses on identities apparent within talk about the dementia caregiving relationship. This analysis reveals the construction of two prominent and interacting identities, that of ‘fragile self’ and ‘fighter self.’ The potential clinical implications of identity exploration for caregivers are discussed. Chapter 3 offers a reflective account of my experience of the research process in relation to my own social relationships.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:632921 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Lowry, Samantha |
| Publisher | University of Warwick |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/65225/ |
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