The Association between Coping Strategies Utilized and Quality of Life among Thai Family Carers of Persons Living with Dementia Residing in Community
Creators: Kaewwilai, Lalita
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2022

<p>Background: Caring for persons living with dementia is complex, and there is a great cost associated with caregiving. Many family carers are at an increased risk of deteriorated physical and psychological outcomes. However, the numbers of Asian studies concerning the association between coping and quality of life (QOL) in family carers of persons living with dementia are limited. Less still is known about Thai family carers. Therefore, research is needed regarding the association between types of coping strategies utilized by carers and their QOL as a foundation to develop interventions that enhance carers coping skills and QOL.<br>
Purpose: This dissertation aimed to identify the association between coping and QOL in Thai family carers of persons living with dementia. We hypothesized that, after adjusting for covariates including carer characteristics and carers’ stress and social support, problem-focused coping and positive emotion-focused coping would have a strong, positive association with QOL; while, negative emotion- focused coping would have a strong, negative association with QOL.<br>
Methods:  The dissertation consists of four related papers: (1) a systematic literature review to identify factors that influence coping among Asian family carers of persons living with dementia, (2) a conceptual framework of stress and coping, which includes key variables that influence coping, distinguishing between positive and negative emotion-focused coping,  (3) a methods paper that described the challenges and strategies used to recruit participants in this study, and (4) a cross-sectional, quantitative, correlational study to examine the association among problem-focused, positive emotion-focused, and negative emotion-focused coping strategies with QOL among Thai family carers of persons living with dementia. In the quantitative study, participants were recruited using a multi-pronged approach.  The participants completed a demographic form and measures of coping styles (Thai Brief COPE), quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF-Thai), perceives stress (ThaiPSS-10), and perceived social support (Thai-MPSS) either online, mail/paper or via telephone interview. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to determine the association between types of coping strategies utilized and QOL scores, adjusting for carer characteristics and carers’ stress and social support.<br>
Findings: There were eighty-six participants (mean age 52.84 years), and the majority were female (87.2%).  In bivariate analysis, total QOL scores were positively correlated with problem-focused coping (r = .188, p &lt; .05), positive emotion-focused coping (r = .390, p &lt;.001), and negatively correlated with negative emotion-focused coping (r = -.216, p &lt; .05). After adjusting for covariates, hierarchical multiple regression revealed that only positive emotion-focused coping demonstrated a statistically significant association (p &lt; .1) with total QOL scores (β = 0.179, p = .08). Problem-focused coping and negative emotion-focused coping were not significantly associated with total QOL scores of Thai family carers of persons living with dementia.<br>
Conclusions: The findings of a significant association between positive emotion-focused coping and QOL have implications for the development of carer coping interventions to improve QOL.  Nurses should encourage carers to use positive emotion-focused coping strategies (e.g., positive reframing, acceptance, and emotional support), as these strategies were found to be helpful in enhancing carers’ QOL. </p>