The Gerontologist, Vol 32, Issue 5 648-655, Copyright © 1992 by The Gerontological Society of America
Conflict in Alzheimer's caregiving families: its dimensions and consequences
SJ Semple
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego 92103- 6325.
This paper views conflict in Alzheimer's caregiving families as a
multidimensional construct. Three conceptually distinct dimensions of
family conflict are described and examined in relation to depression and
anger. Regression analyses indicate that conflicts involving family
members' attitudes and actions toward the caregiver are associated with
increased risk for depression among caregivers, whereas conflicts stemming
from family members' attitudes and behaviors toward the patient are most
likely to result in anger. Self-concepts and normative expectations are
implicated as key explanatory variables.
