Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Aging Psychiatry
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1446344
This article is part of the Research Topic Healthy Aging in Action: Addressing the Challenges of Cognitive Decline and Dementia and Contributing to a Better Future for Population Aging View all 5 articles

Barriers to self-management engagement among community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment: a qualitative study

Provisionally accepted
Jingxian Sun Jingxian Sun *Yayi Zhao Yayi Zhao Aihong Wang Aihong Wang
  • Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Self-management is crucial for individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to enhance cognitive health and mitigate the potential risk of dementia. However, maintaining consistent engagement in self-management strategies seems a challenge for older adults with MCI. This study sought to gain insights into the barriers to self-management engagement among community-dwelling older adults with MCI.Methods: This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach. Purposive sampling was used to recruit a diverse group of participants with MCI, aged 60 and above, residing in the provinces of Hubei, Jiangsu, Henan, and Anhui in China.Semi-structured interviews were conducted between January and May 2023, allowing for an in-depth exploration of participants' experiences and perceptions. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and subjected to thematic analysis to capture the essence of the participants' narratives.Results: Twenty-six participants participated in the formal semi-structured interviews.The following themes and subthemes were identified: "inappropriate perceptions of MCI" ("low perception of risk from MCI" and "supposition of little personal control over MCI"), "elder self-neglect", and "lack of available information or support services about MCI".Discussion: This study highlights significant barriers to self-management engagement among community-dwelling older adults with MCI, emphasizing the importance of developing tailored interventions that address misconceptions and self-neglect and enhance the availability of information and support services. These findings suggest avenues for policymakers and healthcare providers to foster more effective self-management practices in this population, promoting cognitive health and slowing potential progression to dementia.

    Keywords: Mild Cognitive Impairment, Older adult, Community-dwelling, self-management, barriers, qualitative study

    Received: 09 Jun 2024; Accepted: 11 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Sun, Zhao and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jingxian Sun, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.