Depression as a type of the psychological disorder is often characteristic for people who suffer from definite difficulties in their life and have to act in stressful situations regularly.
From this point, the situation of caring for the loved person who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease can be discussed as a stressful one, and it can cause the development of the carer’s depression.
To answer the research question “What is the rate of depression in adults, ages 40-60 years, caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease compared to adults of the same age group in the general population?”, it is significant to analyse the possible correlation between the situation of the necessary care for the person with Alzheimer’s disease and the growth of the carer’s depression with references to the research provided by Rosness, Mjorud, and Engedal.
Thus, the researchers state that the rate of depression in carers of the persons suffering from Alzheimer’s disease is significantly higher than the general rates of depression in persons from the examined age group (Rosness, Mjorud, & Engedal, 2011).
It is also important to discuss the tendency with references to Peplau’s theory of Interpersonal Relations.
In their research, Rosness, Mjorud, and Engedal examine the relevance of the hypotheses according to which carers of the persons with early onset dementia or Alzheimer’s disease are significantly depressed and experience different behavioural disturbances; the quality of life of the carers is rather low depending on the stressful situation in comparison with the other persons.
The significance of the investigation for answering the research question is in the fact the participants of the study were from the discussed age group, and the difference between the depression rates of carers of the patients below and above the age of 65 years was stated (Rosness, Mjorud, & Engedal, 2011).
It was found that as many as 85.7% of the carers of the patients suffer from depression, and the level of depression can be ceased, using the help of nurses (Rosness, Mjorud, & Engedal, 2011).
These findings are important for answering the research question. Thus, the rate of depression in adults caring for the persons with Alzheimer’s disease is comparably higher than the rate of depression in persons who are not in the similar stressful situation.
The conclusions can be supported with references to the increased score of depressions in carers for the persons with Alzheimer’s disease according to the GDS-15 scale (Rosness, Mjorud, & Engedal, 2011).
The differences in rates can be explained with references to such a nursing theory as Peplau’s theory of Interpersonal Relations. The principles of this nursing theory were developed in the 1950s.
The theory is focused on the significance of interpersonal relations between a nurse and a patient in achieving the main goal of the care which is the patient’s recovery (Schmidt & Brown, 2012, p. 124-125).
The effectiveness of the nurse’s activities depends on following the definite principles of establishing the appropriate relations with a patient.
From this point, the role of a carer in the situation of caring for the loved person with Alzheimer’s disease is correlated with the role of a nurse.
Thus, to examine the negative impact of the stressful situation on developing the carer’s depression, it is necessary to refer to Peplau’s theory of Interpersonal Relations as the way to overcome the problems.
References
Rosness, T. A., Mjorud, M., & Engedal, K. (2011). Quality of life and depression in carers of patients with early onset dementia. Aging & Mental Health, 15(3), 299-306.
Schmidt, N. A., & Brown, J. M. (2012). Evidence-based practice for nurses. Sundbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.