Coping with caring for someone with dementia: Reviewing the literature about men

Abstract

As the demographics of the population change, men are assuming increasingly important roles as caregivers, despite caregiving often being perceived as a feminine activity. Research to date has described sex differences in caregiving and psychological outcomes. However, there appears to be little understanding of varying ways men may cope with the strains of caregiving. To this end, a systematic literature search was carried out to determine what is known about men coping with caring for someone with dementia. The search process elicited 93 articles, reviewed and categorised by their content. The majority of articles reported research and interventions with little detailed analysis of gender as a mediating variable for coping. Four articles reported finding no sex-differences in coping and burden. Of the nine articles that reported exclusively on men caregivers, only one generated quantitative data within an explicit framework of stress, appraisal and coping. Conclusions suggest that future research requires refinement and sophistication to address the role of gender in mediating appraisals of strain and coping responses to familial dementia care. The limitations of gender difference research and self-report methodologies are discussed along with their implications for interventions and suggestions for future research.