Coping Styles Predict Timing of Dementia Diagnosis: Evidence From DETERMIND

Early diagnosis underpins global policy directives aimed at supporting people to live well with dementia. While people encounter numerous barriers when seeking early dementia diagnosis, previous research has primarily focussed on non-modifiable, socio-demographic determinants of diagnostic timing. This study examined whether individuals' coping style could provide further insight into diagnostic delay.

Coping was assessed via the dispositional Brief COPE in 935 individuals recently diagnosed with dementia and 697 carers from the DETERMIND cohort. Through principal component analysis, we identified three distinct coping styles. Hierarchical regression assessed the association of participant demographics and coping factors with diagnostic timing, operationalised via symptom severity and time between first symptoms and diagnosis.

Coping predicted diagnostic timing in terms of both symptom severity and temporal delay. Increased symptom severity at diagnosis was predicted by individuals with dementia using more avoidant coping and less approach coping. Longer temporal delays were associated with individuals with dementia using less support seeking coping and carers using less avoidant coping.

Our findings suggest diagnostic timing is related to the coping strategies employed by individuals with dementia and their carers, over and above demographic influences. These results identify coping as a modifiable factor that could help understand who is most at risk and inform interventions to promote early diagnosis, aligning with global policy directives.