Self-Testing for Dementia: A Phenomenological Analysis of Fear

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Neuroscience
• Psychology

Background:

• Growing economic importance of mobile health (mHealth) and increasing global prevalence of dementia.
• Development and marketing of self-testing apps for dementia and mild neurocognitive disorder (MCD).
• Criticism of mHealth apps' promise of quick and easy cognitive assessment tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the dimensions of fear associated with dementia self-testing apps.
• To analyze the phenomenological aspects of fear in users of cognitive self-testing applications.
• To expand understanding beyond quantitative literature on the experience of self-testing for cognitive decline.

Main Methods:

• Drawing on Sara Ahmed's phenomenological theory of emotions.
• Analysis of illustrative experiences from two users of a specific dementia self-testing app.
• Exploration of four phenomenological dimensions of fear: performative, ontological, embodied, and temporal.

Main Results:

• Fear can motivate individuals to take self-tests and seek control over their cognitive health.
• Fear shapes self-perception and the understanding of cognitive deficiency in oneself and others.
• Fear is constructed by and influences embodied experiences and presence in the world.
• Self-testing makes a feared future of cognitive deficiency more tangible.

Conclusions:

• Fear plays a complex, multi-dimensional role in the experience of dementia self-testing apps.
• Understanding these dimensions of fear offers a richer perspective than purely quantitative approaches.
• The study highlights the emotional and existential implications of using mHealth for cognitive health assessment.