| Purpose:To investigate the current situation of dementia fear among the elderly in a community in a city of Xinjiang and analyze its influencing factors,in order to understand the level of dementia fear among the elderly and to provide a reference basis for medical workers to target the improvement of dementia fear among the elderly and to develop relevant interventions.Method:From November 2021 to July 2022,according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,761 cases of elderly people in a city and three communities in Xinjiang were selected for the study using convenience sampling method.General information questionnaire,fear of dementia scale,Alzheimer’s disease knowledge scale,dementia attitudes scale,brief ageing perceptions questionnaire,and family APGAR index were used for questionnaire survey.The data were analyzed by descriptive analysis,t-test,one-way ANOVA,Pearson correlation analysis,and multiple linear regression analysis using SPSS26.0 software;a chain mediating effect model was constructed using Process macro program to analyze the relationship between self-perceived aging and dementia fear and the chain mediating effect of dementia knowledge and dementia attitude between the two.Results:1.The total score of dementia fear in 761 community-dwelling older adults was(52.59±15.10),which was at an intermediate level,with scores of(22.02±7.05)for cognitive dimensions,(20.35±6.44)for social dimensions,(10.22±2.96)for somatic dimensions;(18.60±3.66)for knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease,and The total score of dementia attitudes was(81.58±17.51),the total score of self-perceived aging was(49.66±12.03),the total score of family APGAR index was 5.00(4.00,9.00),the total number of people with good family function was 313(41.1%),the total number of people with moderate family function impairment was 261(34.3%),and the total number of people with severe family function There were 187(24.6%)people with severe family function disorders.2.Univariate analysis revealed statistically significant differences in demographic characteristics such as fear of dementia scores among older adults in the community by gender,age,education level,marital status,mode of residence,whether they perceived memory loss,whether they had a family history of dementia,whether they had contact with a person with dementia(e.g.,relatives,friends,neighbors,etc.),whether they had cared for a person with dementia,whether they were aware of ways to prevent dementia,and family functioning status(P<0.05).3.Person correlation analysis showed that the total dementia fear score was negatively correlated with the total Alzheimer’s disease knowledge score(r=-0.500,P<0.01),negatively correlated with the total dementia attitudes score(r=-0.579,P<0.01),and positively correlated with the total self-perceived aging score(r=0.687,P<0.01)in community-dwelling older adults.4.Multiple linear regression analysis showed that gender(β=0.095,P<0.001),age(β=0.062,P=0.011),living alone(β=0.069,P=0.002),whether perceived memory decline(β=0.083,P<0.001),presence of family history of dementia(β=-0.184,P<0.001),family functional status(β=0.199,P<0.001),total Alzheimer’s disease knowledge score(β=-0.070,P=0.016),total dementia attitudes score(β=-0.249,P<0.001),and total self-perceived aging score(β=0.408,P<0.001)were influential factors of dementia fear among older adults in the community,explaining 64.9% of the total variance in fear of dementia.5.The results of the mediating effect test showed that self-perceived aging of older adults had a significant direct effect on dementia fear,and dementia knowledge and dementia attitude could play a partial mediating effect in the prediction of self-perceived aging on dementia fear,and also could play a chain mediating effect in the prediction of self-perceived aging on dementia fear through the influence of dementia knowledge on dementia attitude.The mediating effect of dementia knowledge between self-perceived aging and dementia fear was 0.117 with Bootstrap 95% CI of(0.065-0.173),accounting for17.3% of the total effect;the mediating effect of dementia attitude between them was 0.172 with Bootstrap95% CI of(0.128-0.220),accounting for 25.4% of the total effect.The chain mediating effect between dementia knowledge and dementia fear was 0.032,Bootstrap 95% CI(0.011-0.054),accounting for 4.7% of the total effect.Conclusion:1.Fear of dementia among the elderly in a community in a city in Xinjiang is at a moderate level and needs to be improved,requiring timely assessment and effective interventions by health workers to maintain the mental health of the elderly.2.Self-perceived aging in community-dwelling older adults can act directly on dementia fear,or it can partially mediate the effect between self-perceived aging and dementia fear through dementia knowledge or dementia attitudes,or it can play a chain mediating effect in the prediction of self-perceived aging on dementia fear through dementia knowledge influencing dementia attitudes.3.Female,the older the age,living alone,perceived memory decline,have a family history of dementia,the poorer their family functioning,the lower the level of dementia knowledge,the more negative the dementia attitude,and self perception aging level negative community elderly more likely to produce fear of dementia,medical workers and community workers should strengthen the attention of the above people. |
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