Dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition more common in the older adult population. Persons with Alzheimer’s... Show moreDementia due to Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition more common in the older adult population. Persons with Alzheimer’s disease are a unique population in that they not only are likely to experience stigma related to having a neurodegenerative disease, but they may also experience stigma as a result of their age. The present study combined the ageism literature and Weiner’s theory of attribution to investigate (1) the goodness of fit of Weiner’s model as a means of explaining public stigma expressed towards persons with Alzheimer’s disease, and (2) the impact ageism, anxiety about personally aging, anxiety about personally developing Alzheimer’s disease, intergroup anxiety, and level of familiarity with Alzheimer’s disease may have on the public stigma expressed towards an older adult with Alzheimer’s disease. Two hundred and fifty-eight Amazon MTurk workers read a short vignette of an older adult with either a Normal Aging, Mild Alzheimer’s disease or Severe Alzheimer’s disease description, and completed self-report measures. Results revealed marginal support for Weiner’s attribution theory as a model to explain the public stigma expressed towards older persons with Alzheimer’s, as well as, the influence ageist attitudes and both intergroup anxiety and worry about developing personally developing Alzheimer’s disease have on emotional reactions of anger and helping behavioral intentions. Clinical implications regarding increasing empowerment for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as, psychoeducation and contact interventions to decrease the public stigma of Alzheimer’s disease are discussed. Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2017 Show less
