Relationships, motivations and meanings in informal caregiving for people with dementia

Numerous theoretical models have been developed to explore how caregiving can impact on caregivers' wellbeing. However, less attention has been given to caregivers' motivations for providing care, the meaning they find in caregiving and their relationship with the care-recipient. The aim of this thesis was to explore the role of relationships, motivations, and meanings in dementia caregiving. This thesis utilised a mixed methods approach. Two systematic reviews suggested that relationship quality, motivations, and meanings could individually impact on caregivers' wellbeing. The reviews indicated that the interrelationships between caregiving motivations, the quality of the relationship with the care-recipient, and ability to find meaning in caregiving, and the relative contributions of these factors to caregiver wellbeing, have not previously been examined. Based on the findings of the reviews, a qualitative study with twelve caregivers explored their subjective experience in relation to motivations, meanings and relationships, and found that they were engaging in a process of 'balancing needs', in which they constantly struggled to balance their needs with the care-recipient, creating dilemmas which had to be managed as part of everyday life. A second qualitative study incorporated the perspectives of caregivers, care-recipients and Admiral Nurses into six case studies. These members were engaged in a process of 'negotiating the balance', which describes their ongoing struggle to balance the views of the other members against their own needs. Building on the findings of these studies a cross-sectional questionnaire study assessed associations between relationships, motivations, and meanings, and the impact of these factors on caregiver wellbeing. The questionnaires were completed by 447 caregivers. This study found a positive association between motivations, meanings, and relationship quality. These factors could also influence caregivers' wellbeing. Predictors of finding meaning were also discussed. The findings suggest that a greater understanding of meanings, motivations, and relationships could aid the development of more effective interventions for caregivers.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo