Using cognitive mapping to explore women caregivers' experiences

Women are often faced with the primary role of providing care for individuals with Alzheimer 's disease (AD). This study explored women caregiver's perceptions of caregiving through the use of Cognitive Mapping (CM), a qualitative research method. Volunteers were recruited from caregiver support groups to construct maps of their experience of "caregiving for someone with AD. " Maps were analyzed for commonly identified concepts and relationships. Twelve participants identified 280 concepts, 206 of which were unduplicated. Concepts were collapsed into 17 categories; the largest concepts being "friends and family," "sad," "frustration," and "time." The maps produced by the sample in this study were unique, providing evidence that the experience of AD caregiving varies significantly among caregivers. CM appears to be effective for identifying caregiver stressors and needed support services.