Date of Award

2021

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts In Psychology Degree

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Judge, Katherine

Second Advisor

Eric Allard

Third Advisor

Toni Bisconti

Abstract

Not all individuals with dementia (IWDs) experience the progression of their illness similarly. Though recent work has given attention to how IWDs experience the cluster of symptoms in dementia, little work has been conducted with the unique population of veterans with dementia. Stressing the ability of IWDs to self-report and guided by the Stress Process Model for Individuals with Dementia, this study examined the relationships between depressive symptoms and various aspects of the illness experience including objective cognition, perceived memory difficulty, perceived functional difficulty, and dyadic relationship strain. The sample includes IWDs with mild to severe dementia who are veterans (N=69). Significant positive correlations emerged between depressive symptoms and several measures of the illness experience: perceived cognition (r=.48, p

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