Sense of identity in adult children of people with Alzheimer’s disease

When a person becomes ill with Alzheimer’s disease, the whole family is affected. Family members have previously been described as developing or discovering new sides to themselves, and that relationships and roles within and outside of the family are changed. Previous research has primarily focused on the changes for spouses; the experiences of adult children have been studied to a lesser extent.

The project aims, therefore, to describe how sense of identity is perceived by adult children of people with Alzheimer’s disease. The project analyses group discussions held within self-help conversation groups for adult children of people with Alzheimer’s disease. The theoretical framework used in the study is Rom Harré’s theory of selfhood as both embodied and socially constructed.