Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Oct;56(5):886-95.
doi: 10.1093/geront/gnv029. Epub 2015 Apr 15.

Dyadic Analysis of Illness Perceptions Among Persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Their Family Members

Jennifer H Lingler  1 , Lauren Terhorst  2 , Richard Schulz  3 , Amanda Gentry  4 , Oscar Lopez  5
Affiliations

Dyadic Analysis of Illness Perceptions Among Persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Their Family Members

Jennifer H Lingler et al. Gerontologist. 2016 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose of this study: To characterize illness perceptions among persons with mild cognitive impairment (PWMCI) and their family care partners, and to examine whether PWMCI's and their family care partners' illness perceptions were associated with their own, as well as the other member of the dyad's, emotional reactions to MCI.

Design and methods: This cross-sectional study of PWMCI and their family care partners (n = 60 dyads) used patient and relative versions of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) to assess metacognitive and emotional features of illness perception in MCI along 5 dimensions of perceived: seriousness of potential consequences, personal controllability, timeline, fluctuation (cycling) of symptoms, and illness coherence (clear vs. confusing).

Results: As compared to family members, PWMCI perceived MCI to be less potentially serious and to be more within their personal control, but dyads otherwise shared similar perceptions of MCI. Among PWMCI, perceived seriousness of the potential consequences of MCI was the only dimension to be significantly correlated with emotional distress. For family members, increased MCI-related emotional distress was significantly associated with perceptions of MCI as potentially serious, permanent, or confusing. A dyadic analysis using APIM showed that MCI-related emotional distress, in both PWMCI and family members, was linked to the PWMCI's perception of the seriousness of MCI.

Implications: MCI-related education and support should be tailored for both the PWMCI and family member audiences, while acknowledging interdependence of illness perceptions within family units. Tailored information and support will be critical in managing MCI going forward, as illness perceptions are likely key factors on which individuals will plan for the future or base medical decisions.

Keywords: Caregiving; Health beliefs; Illness representation; Preclinical dementia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Actor–partner Interdependence Model Adapted from Cook and Kenny (2005). PWMCI = person with mild cognitive impairment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Anderson L. A., Day C. L., Beard R. L., Reed P. S., Wu B. (2009). The public’s perceptions about cognitive health and Alzheimer’s disease among the U.S. population: a national review. The Gerontologist, 49, S3–S11. doi:10.1093/geront/gnp088 - PubMed
    1. Bagby R. M. Ryder A. G. Schuller D. R., & Marshall M. B (2004). Reviews and overviews. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale: Has the gold standard become a lead weight? American Journal of Psychiatry, 161, 2163–2177. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.161.12.2163 - PubMed
    1. Beard R. L., Neary T. M. (2013). Making sense of nonsense: experiences of mild cognitive impairment. Sociology of Health & Illness, 35, 130–146. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2012.01481.x - PubMed
    1. Becker G., Gates R. J., Newsom E. (2004). Self-care among chronically ill African Americans: culture, health disparities, and health insurance status. American Journal of Public Health, 94, 2066–2073. doi:10.2105/AJPH.94.12.2066 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bijsterbosch J. Scharloo M. Visser A. W. Watt I. Meulenbelt I. Huizinga T. W. J.…Kloppenburg M (2009). Illness perceptions in patients with osteoarthritis: change over time and association with disability. Arthritis Care & Research, 61, 1054–1061. doi:10.1002/art.24674 - PubMed

Publication types