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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Perceptions of subjective memory complaint in older adults
— the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Memory (IPQ-M) | | Author(s) | Catherine S Hurt, Alistair Burns, Richard G Brown |
| Journal title | International Psychogeriatrics, vol 22, no 5, August 2010 |
| Pages | pp 750-760 |
| Source | http://www.journals.cambridge.org/ipg doi: 10.1017/S1041610209991542 |
| Keywords | Memory disorders ; Attitude ; Evaluation ; Qualitative Studies. |
| Annotation | Subjective Memory Complaints (SMCs) are common among middle-aged and older adults and are often a source of distress and worry. However, rates of help-seeking are low. Investigating perceptions of SMCs may help us better to understand psychological reactions to SMCs and help-seeking behaviour. The present study had two aims: (i) to investigate whether the dimensions drawn from the Common Sense Model of Illness Perception (Leventhal et al, 1984) provide a valid model of perceptions held by patients with SMCs; and (ii) to develop a questionnaire to measure these perceptions. Qualitative interviews to explore perceptions of SMCs were conducted with 32 participants recruited from a memory clinic and community groups. Information from these interviews was utilized to adapt the Illness Perception Questionnaire - Revised (IPQ-R) for use with patients with SMCs. Ninety-eight such patients then completed the adapted questionnaire along with measures of cognition, depression and subjective memory function. The dimensions of illness perception measured by the IPQ-R were present in participant accounts of SMCs with the exception of Timeline Cyclical. The adapted measure (IPQ-M) showed good validity and reliability. The development of the IPQ-M provides opportunities for further investigation of illness perceptions and their relationship to psychological distress and help-seeking behaviour in SMCs. Furthermore, investigation of these relationships may provide a basis from which to develop interventions to improve well-being and help-seeking in older adults with SMCs. (KJ). |
| Accession Number | CPA-100927210 A |
| Classmark | EH: DP: 4C: 3DP |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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