Defense Date

8-28-2020

Graduation Date

Fall 12-18-2020

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

Counseling, Psychology, & Special Education

School

School of Education

Committee Chair

David Delmonico

Committee Member

Laura Marshak

Committee Member

William Casile

Keywords

Male caregivers, FTD, Ambiguous Loss, Interdependence Theory, Investment Model of Commitment

Abstract

ABSTRACT

THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF MALES WITHIN A COMMITTED RELATIONSHIP WHO ARE THE PRIMARY CAREGIVERS FOR A PARTNER DIAGNOSED WITH FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA

By

Aniela Kathryn Scanlon

August 2020

Dissertation supervised by Dr. David Delmonico

Spouses who are caregivers for their partner with dementia experience significant changes within the relationship and in their daily lives. There is a focus in the extant literature on female caregivers and types of dementia that are more mainstream, like Alzheimer’s disease. However, little is known about the lived experiences of male primary caregivers for a spouse or partner diagnosed with dementia such as frontotemporal dementia. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of male primary caregivers in a committed relationship who are the primary caregiver for a partner diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) to understand how the male primary caregivers are personally impacted and how they experience interdependence and intimacy and ambiguous loss within the relationship. This study found male primary caregivers for a partner with FTD are deeply emotionally impacted by the changes in interdependency and intimacy within the relationship. This study also found that male primary caregivers retain their sense of independence even though their time to participate in individual activities is limited due to the caregiving role tasks.

Language

English

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