April 4-6, 2024 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Innovations in Health Communication
Innovations in Health Communication
Abstract: What We Have to Say to Each Other Counts: Dementia Caregivers' Family Communication Quality, Goals, and Relational Dynamics
Dementia caregivers are often members of the person living with dementia (PLWD)’s family. As they navigate the process of providing and coordinating care, they also enact family relationships. Families enter the experience of dementia with their family history. Relationships are potentially impacted as they provide care. This study applied multiple goals theory of personal relationships (MGT; Caughlin, 2010) to examine family history, communication quality and goals, and relational dynamics of families of PLWD.
This illness creates unique demands and stresses for families. Due to the nature of caregiving demands, caregivers often have limited time. Caregivers experience crippling uncertainty, overwhelming burden, and other negative health implications such as emotional strain, physical and mental burnout, disruption to routine, financial strain, and substance abuse (e.g., Black et al., 2010; Fuller-Jonap & Haley, 1995; Schulz & Martire, 2004). In addition, family members’ identities are greatly impacted with dementia caregiving (e.g., Alemán & Helfrich, 2010; Baxter et al., 2002; Hummert, 2007). Families may experience relational tension while providing dementia care and struggling with past unresolved relational pain (e.g., Polk, 2005). Extant research acknowledges the importance of the role and needs of family members of PLWD as well as the importance of ‘communication.’ However, this body of work often does not include communication theories or precise measures of communication. The quality of communication is not consistently accounted for or measured. Nor are the relational dynamics of these families examined.
MGT (Caughlin, 2010) represents a particularly fruitful way to conceptualize family communication in terms of communication goals. Additionally, this theory provides helpful guidance for how to operationalize communication in terms of the quality of interaction goal pursuit and communication satisfaction (see Scott & Caughlin, 2012; Van Scoy et al., 2022; 2017). This study applied MGT to examine the relational history (i.e., pre-diagnosis relational dynamics) of these families and how family history influences current (i.e., post-diagnosis) relational dynamics, as well as their conversation goals and quality of their family communication.
Six research questions were addressed, which inquired about pre- and post-diagnosis relational dynamics, post-diagnosis communication satisfaction, and post-diagnosis interaction goals. To answer the RQs, semi-structured interviews were conducted with adult family members of PLWD (N = 18; 4m, 14w; M age = 55) which focused on communication experiences of family caregivers, such as decision making, normative communication, closeness, relational distancing, relationship qualities, family functioning, conversation satisfaction, differences of opinion, and perceived communication goals. Interviews averaged 59.89 minutes. Data were coded (intercoder reliability established on 10 percent of the data) and analyzed using phronetic iterative analysis (Tracy, 2020).
Results of this research have practical and theoretical implications. Theoretically, this study provides evidence supporting MGT, offers novel insight into family relational perspectives relating to interaction goals, and extends MGT work into the family dementia context. Additionally, findings from this research may be used by caregiver organizations and care providers to better understand experiences of family members of PLWD. Ultimately, this work can support revitalized dementia caregiver interventions, education programs, and online social support resources.
This illness creates unique demands and stresses for families. Due to the nature of caregiving demands, caregivers often have limited time. Caregivers experience crippling uncertainty, overwhelming burden, and other negative health implications such as emotional strain, physical and mental burnout, disruption to routine, financial strain, and substance abuse (e.g., Black et al., 2010; Fuller-Jonap & Haley, 1995; Schulz & Martire, 2004). In addition, family members’ identities are greatly impacted with dementia caregiving (e.g., Alemán & Helfrich, 2010; Baxter et al., 2002; Hummert, 2007). Families may experience relational tension while providing dementia care and struggling with past unresolved relational pain (e.g., Polk, 2005). Extant research acknowledges the importance of the role and needs of family members of PLWD as well as the importance of ‘communication.’ However, this body of work often does not include communication theories or precise measures of communication. The quality of communication is not consistently accounted for or measured. Nor are the relational dynamics of these families examined.
MGT (Caughlin, 2010) represents a particularly fruitful way to conceptualize family communication in terms of communication goals. Additionally, this theory provides helpful guidance for how to operationalize communication in terms of the quality of interaction goal pursuit and communication satisfaction (see Scott & Caughlin, 2012; Van Scoy et al., 2022; 2017). This study applied MGT to examine the relational history (i.e., pre-diagnosis relational dynamics) of these families and how family history influences current (i.e., post-diagnosis) relational dynamics, as well as their conversation goals and quality of their family communication.
Six research questions were addressed, which inquired about pre- and post-diagnosis relational dynamics, post-diagnosis communication satisfaction, and post-diagnosis interaction goals. To answer the RQs, semi-structured interviews were conducted with adult family members of PLWD (N = 18; 4m, 14w; M age = 55) which focused on communication experiences of family caregivers, such as decision making, normative communication, closeness, relational distancing, relationship qualities, family functioning, conversation satisfaction, differences of opinion, and perceived communication goals. Interviews averaged 59.89 minutes. Data were coded (intercoder reliability established on 10 percent of the data) and analyzed using phronetic iterative analysis (Tracy, 2020).
Results of this research have practical and theoretical implications. Theoretically, this study provides evidence supporting MGT, offers novel insight into family relational perspectives relating to interaction goals, and extends MGT work into the family dementia context. Additionally, findings from this research may be used by caregiver organizations and care providers to better understand experiences of family members of PLWD. Ultimately, this work can support revitalized dementia caregiver interventions, education programs, and online social support resources.