A Duty to Care: Male Perspectives on the Caregiver Role for Persons With Alzheimer’s or Dementia
Open accessAbstract
The population of family caregivers (FCGs) of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) is growing, as is the proportion of males taking on this traditionally female role. Caregiving research has centered around women due to historic roles, resulting in a knowledge gap regarding male caregiving experiences. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the experiences of male FCGs of people with ADRD. Eleven male caregivers were recruited and interviewed by telephone or Zoom/videoconferencing. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Four major themes emerged highlighting males’ struggles with the unfamiliar caregiving role and changing identity; their acknowledgment of personal growth and discovery through caregiving; their challenges in finding the “right” kind of support; and their perceived reshaping of masculinity through the caregiving role. Male caregivers expressed unique experiences as FCGs. Findings indicate the need for researchers and clinicians to develop tailored support to address their needs.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006) · Qualitative Research in Psychology · doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa · Cited by 194,414 · see citing works
Content analysis and thematic analysis: Implications for conducting a qualitative descriptive study
Vaismoradi, M., Turunen, H., & Bondas, T. (2013) · Nursing & Health Sciences · doi:10.1111/nhs.12048 · Cited by 8,327 · see citing works
An Analysis of Coping in a Middle-Aged Community Sample
Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R. S. (1980) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.2307/2136617 · Cited by 6,361 · see citing works
What's in a name? Qualitative description revisited
Sandelowski, M. (2010) · Research in Nursing & Health · doi:10.1002/nur.20362 · Cited by 4,975 · see citing works
Rigor in Qualitative Research: The Assessment of Trustworthiness
Krefting, L. (1991) · American Journal of Occupational Therapy · doi:10.5014/ajot.45.3.214 · Cited by 4,174 · see citing works
Qualitative description – the poor cousin of health research?
Neergaard, M. A., Olesen, F., Andersen, R. S., & Søndergaard, J. (2009) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/1471-2288-9-52 · Cited by 2,099 · see citing works
Sex Differences in Coping Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review and an Examination of Relative Coping
Tamres, L. K., Janicki, D., & Helgeson, V. S. (2002) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1207/s15327957pspr0601_1 · Cited by 1,807 · cited 1× · see citing works
“In early studies, when problems or distressing circumstances arise, men tend to focus on finding solution or “problem-focus” coping, whereas women are more inclined to an “emotional-focused” form of coping (Folkman & Lazarus, 1980; Tamres et al., 2002).”
Theme in Qualitative Content Analysis and Thematic Analysis
Vaismoradi, M., & Snelgrove, S. R. (2019) · Forum qualitative Sozialforschung · doi:10.17169/fqs-20.3.3376 · Cited by 516 · see citing works
National Alliance for Caregiving, & AARP (2020) · doi:10.26419/ppi.00103.001 · Cited by 243 · see citing works
Swinkels, J. C., van Tilburg, T. G., Verbakel, E., & Groenou, M. I. B. V. (2017) · The Journals of Gerontology Series B · doi:10.1093/geronb/gbx036 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
Hunter, S. C., Riggs, D. W., & Augoustinos, M. (2017) · Social and Personality Psychology Compass · doi:10.1111/spc3.12307 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
Masculinity and Help-Seeking Among Men With Depression: A Qualitative Study
Staiger, T., Stiawa, M., Mueller-Stierlin, A. S., Kilian, R., Beschoner, P., Gündel, H., Becker, T., Frasch, K., Panzirsch, M., Schmauß, M., et al. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.599039 · Cited by 146 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Prior literature found that masculine norms and attitudes toward mental health issues play a major role in why men do not seek help for themselves (Parent et al., 2018; Staiger et al., 2020).”
Ma, M., Dorstyn, D., Ward, L., & Prentice, S. (2018) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2017.1370689 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Croghan, C. F., Moone, R. P., & Olson, A. M. (2013) · Journal of Homosexuality · doi:10.1080/00918369.2013.835238 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Men's mental health help-seeking behaviors: an intersectional analysis
Parent, M. C., Hammer, J. H., Bradstreet, T. C., Schwartz, E. N., & Jobe, T. (2018) · American Journal of Men's Health · doi:10.1177/1557988315625776 · Cited by 124 · see citing works
Reed, C. C., Belger, M. A., Dell’Agnello, G., Wimo, A. B., Argimón, J. M., Bruno, G., Dodel, R. C., Haro, J. M., Jones, R. W., & Vellas, B. J. (2014) · Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra · doi:10.1159/000358234 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Gender Differences in Dementia Spousal Caregiving
Pöysti, M. M., Laakkonen, M., Strandberg, T. E., Savikko, N. M., Tilvis, R. S., Eloniemi-Sulkava, U. R., & Pitkälä, K. H. (2012) · International Journal of Alzheimer s Disease · doi:10.1155/2012/162960 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
The effectiveness of support groups: a literature review
Worrall, H., Schweizer, R., Marks, E., Yuan, L., Lloyd, C., & Ramjan, R. (2018) · Mental Health and Social Inclusion · doi:10.1108/mhsi-12-2017-0055 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
The Role of Nutrition for the Aging Population: Implications for Cognition and Alzheimer's Disease
Power, R., Prado‐Cabrero, A., Mulcahy, R., Howard, A. N., & Nolan, J. M. (2019) · Annual Review of Food Science and Technology · doi:10.1146/annurev-food-030216-030125 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
Lozano, M. D. R., García‐Calvente, M. D. M., Calle-Romero, J., Sobrado, M. M., & Larrañaga-Padilla, I. (2017) · Quality of Life Research · doi:10.1007/s11136-017-1678-2 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Understanding Male Caregivers’ Emotional, Financial, and Physical Burden in the United States
Lopez–Anuarbe, M., & Kohli, P. (2019) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare7020072 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Kahn, P. V., Wishart, H. A., Randolph, J. S., & Santulli, R. B. (2016) · Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research · doi:10.1155/2016/8316045 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Sambasivam, R., Liu, J., Vaingankar, J. A., Ong, H. L., Tan, M., Fauziana, R., Picco, L., Chong, S. A., & Subramaniam, M. (2018) · Psychogeriatrics · doi:10.1111/psyg.12365 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Gender Differences in Adverse Psychosocial Outcomes among Family Caregivers: A Systematic Review
Bueno, M., & Chase, J. D. (2022) · Western Journal of Nursing Research · doi:10.1177/01939459221099672 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Self-citationDeveloping young men’s wellbeing through community and school-based programs: A systematic review
Gwyther, K., Swann, R., Casey, K., Purcell, R., & Rice, S. (2019) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0216955 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Male Caregivers: Shifting Roles Among Family Caregivers
Mott, J. (2019) · Clinical journal of oncology nursing · doi:10.1188/19.cjon.e17-e24 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Perrin, P. B., Panyavin, I. S., Paredes, A. M., Arelis, A. A., Macias, M. A., Rábago, B., Picot, S. J. F., & Arango‐Lasprilla, J. C. (2015) · Behavioural Neurology · doi:10.1155/2015/283958 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
The Costs of Caring: Caregiver Strain and Work-Family Conflict Among Canadian Workers
Glavin, P., & Peters, A. (2014) · Journal of Family and Economic Issues · doi:10.1007/s10834-014-9423-2 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Zwar, L., König, H., & Hajek, A. (2018) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.048 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Polenick, C. A., & DePasquale, N. (2017) · The Gerontologist · doi:10.1093/geront/gnx204 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Eifert, E. K., Adams, R. G., Morrison, S. D., & Strack, R. W. (2016) · American Journal of Health Education · doi:10.1080/19325037.2016.1158674 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Prevo, L., Hajema, K., Linssen, E., Kremers, S., Crutzen, R., & Schneider, F. (2018) · INQUIRY The Journal of Health Care Organization Provision and Financing · doi:10.1177/0046958018775570 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Casado, R. D. P., Bravo, M. D. M. P., Moral, P. Á. P., & Osuna, A. F. (2016) · Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics · doi:10.1016/j.archger.2016.11.012 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Doing, Re-doing or Undoing Masculinity? Swedish Men in the Filial Care of Aging Parents
Björk, S. (2014) · NORA - Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research · doi:10.1080/08038740.2014.978369 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Leung, L. C., Chan, K. W., & Tam, K. Y. (2019) · Journal of Family Issues · doi:10.1177/0192513x18823820 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
(2018) · Digital Commons@Becker (Washington University School of Medicine) · doi:10.1371/journal
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- [20]20. Montgomery, R. J. V., & Kosloski, K. (2009). Caergiving as a pro- cess of changing identity: Implications for caregiver support. Generations, 33(1), 47-52.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Male Spousal Caregivers Are Increasing, but Only in Less Demanding Care Roles
Cha, H., & Ailshire, J. (2025) · Journal of Marriage and the Family · doi:10.1111/jomf.70030 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Lastuka, A., Mitchell, A. J., Cogswell, I. E., Dalos, J., Tsakalos, G., Oros, A., Santoni, S., Steele, X., Taylor, K. V., Drouard, S. H. P., et al. (2026) · The Lancet Public Health · doi:10.1016/s2468-2667(26)00010-1 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Masculinity and memory loss: a qualitative study of the social stigma of dementia among Nigerian men
Folorunsho, S. A., Suleman, D. B., Esiaka, D. K., OLAYINKA, T. T., & Ajayi, V. (2025) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2025.2541184 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Caregiver burden and mental health among informal caregivers of older adults in Lebanon
Charbaji, S., EI Asmar, K., McCall, S. J., Saad, G. E., & Chaaya, M. (2026) · Discover Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12982-026-01466-4 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“Nonetheless, our results highlight the importance of the impact of care-recipient needs on caregiver outcomes; those providing frequent and hands-on care experienced higher burden, similar to prior studies in the region and globally [32].”
Svedin, F., Menander, I. Ö., Blomberg, O., Brantnell, A., Farrand, P. A., Lückner, T., Sundelin, K., Turney, J., Åberg, A. C., & Woodford, J. (2025) · Health Expectations · doi:10.1111/hex.70382 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
The Male Approach to Dementia Caregiving: A Scoping Review
Poisson, V. O., Peden, A. E., Poulos, R. G., Withall, A., Jones, H., Stokes, K. L., & O’Connor, C. M. C. (2025) · Australian Journal on Ageing · doi:10.1111/ajag.70119 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Roldán, A. Á., & Bravo-González, F. (2025) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare13030272 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Bratches, R. W., Puga, F., Barr, P. J., Leggett, A. N., Masel, M., Odom, J. N., & Jablonski, R. (2025) · Interactive Journal of Medical Research · doi:10.2196/64499 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Sjøvoll, T., Clancy, A., Holdø, G.-M., & Kitzmüller, G. (2025) · Global Qualitative Nursing Research · doi:10.1177/23333936251379273 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Gurung, S., Bertoni, K., Kervin, L. M., Seetharaman, K., Khan, K. B., & Baumbusch, J. (2025) · Men and Masculinities · doi:10.1177/1097184x251351628
Ike, T. J., Jidong, D. E., Ntaji, M. I., Ayobi, E. E., Ike, M. L., Ayobi, K. O., Ike, P. R., Doghor, R. F., Mahmood, T., & Azam, M. T. (2026) · American Journal of Men s Health · doi:10.1177/15579883261436764
Thomas, I., Kelly, H. K., Bantoft, E., DeDios-Stern, S., & Stott, J. C. H. (2026) · Ageing Research Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.arr.2026.103371
Shin, H., Ko, E., Wright, K., & Jun, J. (2026) · International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/gps.70261
- Authors
- Bueno, M. V.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bueno, Michael V.
- ORCID
- Bueno, Michael V.
- Venue
- Journal of Family Nursing
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2024-01-11
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 75-88
- ISSN
- 1074-8407 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-549X
- OpenAlex
- W4390743903
- Cited by
- 13
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 8
- FWCI
- 8.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Family Nursing (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Alzheimer's Association
- University of Missouri
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Nursing care and research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving
- Keywords
- male caregivers, family caregivers, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, caregiver experiences, masculinity, caregiver identity, personal growth, caregiver support, gender roles in caregiving
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alzheimer Disease, Dementia, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Social Support, Caregivers, Qualitative Research
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
