Affiliations: Department of Health Economics and Health Services Researc, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: PD Dr. André Hajek, Department of Health Economics and Health Services Research, Hamburg Center for Health Economics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. Tel.: +49 0 40 7410 52877; Fax: +49 0 40 7410 40261; E-mail: a.hajek@uke.de.
Abstract: The aim was to identify the determinants of fear of dementia in the general population. Data were taken from the innovation sample (n = 1,498; year 2012) of a nationally representative, longitudinal study. Summarizing, 28.8% reported no fear of dementia, 34.3% reported a little fear of dementia, 21.2% reported some fear of dementia, and 15.7% reported severe fear of dementia. Regressions showed that increased fear of dementia was associated with increased age, being female, an increased perceived own risk for developing dementia, an increased agreement that a diagnosis of dementia would ruin one’s life, and a decreased perception that memory deterioration is preventable. Addressing modifiable factors may assist in reducing fear of dementia.
Keywords: Dementia, dementia worry, fear of dementia, German Socio-Economic Panel
