Aim: This study aimed to explore the psychological and dynamic process of modification and evaluate its time-series peculiarity in family caregivers involved in associations for the families of dementia patients.
Methods: The current study included 39 family caregivers involved in two associations for the families of dementia patients. Five-year free group conversations in the family caregivers were recorded and converted into a verbatim record. The KJ method was then used to encode and group the verbatim record. After analyzing grouped terms and structuring the psychological and dynamic process of modification, time periods of the psychological status were determined based on the psychological process and the time-oriented perspective. The verbatim record extracted by the KJ method was analyzed by text-mining and a cluster analysis in order to assess validity of the psychological process and its time division. In addition, the appearance ratio of the texts extracted in each time period were analyzed to determine the longitudinal peculiarity in the psychological and dynamic process.
Results: The psychological process of family caregivers was classified broadly into four components: (1) recognizing and identifying problems, (2) seeking help and dealing with problems, (3) remedying and evaluating problems, and (4) feeling effective and empowering oneself to overcome problems. The validity of the psychological process and its time division was supported by text-mining and a cluster analysis. The appearance ratio of the texts extracted in each time period was quasi-periodic and recursive rather than transient.
Conclusions: The psychological and dynamic process elucidated in the current study consists of four major components participants experience when involved in associations for the families of dementia patients. Although this process may not have originated in associations for the families of dementia patients, a quasi-periodic and recursive tendency in the appearance ratio of extracted texts is a notable feature. In dementia care, it is vital to foresee emerging challenges on a constant basis and attempt precedent, forecasting-type care. Being involved in associations for the families of dementia patients facilitates the administration of forecasting-type care.
Keywords: Dementia patients; Family caregivers; The KJ method.