Engagement in TikTok of Family Caregivers of Patients with Dementia
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Engagement in TikTok of Family Caregivers of Patients with Dementia
Background: During a time of high stress and daily interaction, family caregivers of patients with dementia (PwD) have turned to social media platforms like TikTok as an outlet for expression, entertainment, and communication. Emotional and informational support are important for the needs of family caregivers of PwD. Turning to social media can help cope with the stress and anxiety that a caregiver may have. The aim of this cross-sectional content analysis study is to describe the content of videos with the #alzheimercaregivers on TikTok, which included 128 videos in the English language. Method: At the time of the study, this hashtag had 13 million views. Each video was coded for content-related to what family caregivers experienced while taking care of PwD. Result: Combined, the 128 videos sampled received 13,027,729 views; 12,047 comments; and 1,188,943 likes. There were 5 content categories that in majority of the videos: (1) activities of daily living and social participation, (2) feelings or emotions, (3) PwD health management information, (4), PwD photo memories and storytelling, and (5) encouragement. Conclusion: Social media and increasingly video-related online messaging such as TikTok are important platforms for social networking, social support, entertainment, and education on diverse topics, including support in general and Alzheimer’s Disease. This presents an opportunity for future research to assess the utility of the TikTok platform for meaningful engagement and support communication on dealing with stress and daily interaction. Keywords: Alzheimer’s caregivers, caregivers, social media, stress, TikTok, anxiety, social support, social participation, dementia
Academic department under which the project should be listed
WCHHS - Nursing
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Mary Ramos
Engagement in TikTok of Family Caregivers of Patients with Dementia
Engagement in TikTok of Family Caregivers of Patients with Dementia
Background: During a time of high stress and daily interaction, family caregivers of patients with dementia (PwD) have turned to social media platforms like TikTok as an outlet for expression, entertainment, and communication. Emotional and informational support are important for the needs of family caregivers of PwD. Turning to social media can help cope with the stress and anxiety that a caregiver may have. The aim of this cross-sectional content analysis study is to describe the content of videos with the #alzheimercaregivers on TikTok, which included 128 videos in the English language. Method: At the time of the study, this hashtag had 13 million views. Each video was coded for content-related to what family caregivers experienced while taking care of PwD. Result: Combined, the 128 videos sampled received 13,027,729 views; 12,047 comments; and 1,188,943 likes. There were 5 content categories that in majority of the videos: (1) activities of daily living and social participation, (2) feelings or emotions, (3) PwD health management information, (4), PwD photo memories and storytelling, and (5) encouragement. Conclusion: Social media and increasingly video-related online messaging such as TikTok are important platforms for social networking, social support, entertainment, and education on diverse topics, including support in general and Alzheimer’s Disease. This presents an opportunity for future research to assess the utility of the TikTok platform for meaningful engagement and support communication on dealing with stress and daily interaction. Keywords: Alzheimer’s caregivers, caregivers, social media, stress, TikTok, anxiety, social support, social participation, dementia