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Lay perceptions regarding the competence of persons with Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Werner Perla
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.1546
Subject(s) - vignette , competence (human resources) , psychology , perception , disease , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , social psychology , medicine , pathology , neuroscience
Objective The aim of the present study was to assess lay persons' perceptions about the competence of a person with AD and its relationship to social distance. Methods Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with a total of 206 Jewish Israeli adults (mean age = 59.7) using an experimental vignette methodology, varying in the severity of the disease. Participants were requested to rate the competence of the person described in the vignette in the areas of driving, health‐decision making, financial decisions, and the performance of instrumental activities of daily living. Results Results of the study showed that lay persons are able to make a distinction between different types of competence, and that their perceptions about competence affect greatly their behavioral discrimination toward a person with AD. Conclusions Findings of this study stress the importance of clarifying the concept of competence among the lay public, in order to reduce the stigmatization of persons with Alzheimer's disease. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.