A Model for Dynamics in Caregivers' Personal Support Networks During the Pandemic

COVID-19 public health measures significantly disrupted personal support relationships among community-dwelling family dementia caregivers. In this research, a personal network analysis was carried out to understand the dynamics in the personal support relationships of caregivers caring for persons living with dementia (PLwD) during the pandemic. The analysis focuses on variables comprising the caregivers' personal network, attributes of their alters, and the functional content in social support, as well as changes therein, before and during the pandemic. A total of 78 caregivers took part in the study, leading to an extensive analysis of 658 caregivers' personal relationships. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify the characteristics of personal relationships associated with changes in the support received. The variables influencing changes were the type of tie with the caregiver and the type of support provided. The type of tie that presented the greatest positive change in support was that of caregivers' partners. In contrast, that of caregivers and health and social professionals presented the most significant negative change. Finally, the most positive change was observed in relationships that provided both emotional and informational support, whereas the least positive change occurred in relationships that offered instrumental support.