Date of Award
Summer 8-7-2012
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Gerontology Institute
First Advisor
Dr. Candace Kemp
Second Advisor
Dr. Jaye Atkinson
Third Advisor
Dr. Ann Pearman
Abstract
An estimated 5.4 million individuals in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease, and the number is expected to rise exponentially over the next 50 years. Content analysis was used to examine the availability and content of online resources accessible through the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) that addressed emotional and physical intimacy for a marital unit. The analysis resulted in ten documents from the Alzheimer’s Association’s website, seven from the NIA’s website, and four additional documents produced from external links that met these criteria. Five major themes emerged from these documents regarding the subject of emotional and physical intimacy. These categories included: (a) defining sexuality and intimacy, (b) changes that occur in the relationship due to a dementia diagnosis, (c) reasons for the change in the relationship, (d) responses to a dementia diagnosis, and (e) strategies for managing the changes due to a dementia diagnosis.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/2932082
Recommended Citation
Hubbard, Danelle S., "Alzheimer's Disease and Intimacy: A Content Analysis of Resources Avaliable through the Alzheimer's Association and the National Institute on Aging." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2012.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/2932082