Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39079009›Full record

ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2024

Dyadic Ambivalence in Couples Managing Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease: Linking Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia to Life Satisfaction.

Meng Huo, Megan Gilligan, Kyungmin Kim, Nicole E Richards, Karen L Fingerman, Steven H Zarit

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Caregivers serving as confidants: relationship correlates and well-being by care-recipients' dementia status.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Meng HuoDepartment of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0060-1151
Megan GilliganDepartment of Human Development and Family Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Kyungmin KimDepartment of Child Development and Family Studies, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.ORCID 0000-0002-0135-4367
Nicole E RichardsDepartment of Human Development and Family Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Karen L FingermanDepartment of Human Development and Family Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9260-9400
Steven H ZaritDepartment of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.

Funding

UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Research CenterP30AG072972 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · PI Charles DeCarli, Rachel A Whitmer · 2021 to 2026
$25.2M
Empathy, Support Exchanges, and Well-Being in Older Couples Coping With Early Stage Alzheimer’s DiseaseR21AG069045 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · PI HUO, MENG · 2021 to 2021
$424k
NIA NIH HHS P30 AG072972NIA NIH HHS R21 AG069045NIA NIH HHS R21AG069045-01A1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesCaring for a spouse with Alzheimer's disease (AD) can elicit considerable distress but there are also positive moments. A growing body of work has examined caregivers' ambivalence in the care relationship and linked it to negative caregiver outcomes such as depression, but dyadic assessments of both parties' perspectives are missing. We examined ambivalence in both people with AD and their spousal caregivers, seeking to identify the correlates and well-being outcomes of such ambivalence in this unique context.

methodsParticipants included 72 couples managing early-stage AD. People with AD and spousal caregivers independently self-reported positive and negative relationship qualities (used to indirectly calculate their ambivalence) and life satisfaction. Caregivers reported both partners' demographic characteristics and their spouses' behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), focusing on memory-related behaviors and psychological symptoms.

resultsPath analyses revealed that the number and frequency of psychological symptoms in people with AD were positively associated with their own and caregivers' ambivalence. Caregivers' distress ratings of memory-related behaviors and psychological symptoms were positively associated with their ambivalence. Greater ambivalence was associated with lower life satisfaction in both spouses. BPSD directly affected both spouses' life satisfaction but there were also indirect effects via ambivalence. DISCUSSION: This study utilizes a dyadic approach to assess ambivalence in dementia care. Findings reveal the conflicting emotions that couples experience as they cope with early-stage AD, identify sources of such ambivalence, and shed light on the development of dyadic interventions that can promote positive outcomes in both partners.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCaregiversPersonal SatisfactionSpousesAdaptation, PsychologicalAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansInterpersonal RelationsMaleMiddle AgedBehavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD)DementiaDyadDyadic Study on Empathy in CaregivingWell-being

Identifiers

PMID39079009
PMCPMC11344209

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.