Analysis of Personality and Lifestyle in Slow-Paced Adults with Down Syndrome with and without Alzheimer\'s Disorder

Abstract

Introduction: Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal disorder. Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent disease affecting these individuals from middle age onwards and leading to numerous problems for individuals, their families, and their caregivers. To develop Alzheimer's prevention strategies for Down syndrome, it is of utmost importance to understand the factors that contribute to its development, such as psychological foundations. The present study aimed to analyze personality and lifestyle in slow-paced adults with Down syndrome with and without Alzheimer's disease. Material & Methods: This qualitative research was conducted based on a descriptive phenomenological design. The research population consisted of adults with Down syndrome (60 cases without Alzheimer's and 10 subjects with Alzheimer's), their parents, and caregivers in Kermanshah province in 2023. In this regard, data collection was carried out through access to medical records of individuals in the Welfare Organization and also semi-structured interviews with these individuals who were purposefully selected until reaching the stage of theoretical saturation. Data analysis was performed using the Clausi method, and the main and sub-themes were identified. For final validation, the criteria of validity and reliability were used. Results: The findings from the data analysis resulted in the extraction of 3 main themes (social-psychotic-coping skills), 14 sub-themes in personality dimension, and 9 main themes (sleep-physical activity-occupation-physical health-weight control and nutrition-personal hygiene-smoking and alcohol consumption-leisure time-doing things independently) and 21 sub-themes in the lifestyle dimension. Discussion & Conclusion: The results of this study highlighted the role and importance of a healthy lifestyle and adaptive personality characteristics in preventing Alzheimer's disease in slow-paced adults with Down syndrome. Therefore, it is suggested that preventive and awareness-raising programs in these two dimensions be developed and implemented by experts and official centers.

Keywords

• alzheimer
• down syndrome
• lifestyle
• personality
• phenomenology