When Adolescents Become Dads: A Clinical-Qualitative Study on the Experience of Male Adolescents Attending a Prenatal Care Service.

Dementia is a syndrome characterized by progressive deterioration in several cognitive domains that interferes with activities of daily living. Dementia imposes a high health and social care burden, with an estimated global cost of US $1 trillion per year []. In 2020, more than 55 million people worldwide were living with dementia, a number expected to increase to 78 million by 2030 []. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an early phase of memory loss or decline in cognitive abilities, such as visual/spatial or language skills. People with MCI (PwMCI) are at higher risk of developing dementia [,], with an estimated annual conversion rate of 10%-15%. In MCI, the individual’s capacity to carry out daily activities generally remains unimpaired []. However, activities that require higher cognitive abilities, such as telephone use, driving, shopping, cooking, and medication management, are often affected []. Consequently, the cognitive, behavioral, and functional symptoms of MCI negatively affect the well-being and quality of life (QoL) of PwMCI [-]. As cognitive impairment worsens, informal caregivers, often a spouse or child, experience a greater caregiving burden []. As PwMCI cope with reduced autonomy due to MCI, the role of the informal caregiver becomes essential in providing assistance and support. One crucial aspect is daily medication management, as cognitive impairment makes it challenging for PwMCI to manage their medications [,], which may lead to suboptimal pharmacological management, unnecessary hospitalization, increased costs and burden of illness, and premature death []. Thus, informal caregivers bear significant responsibility for caring for PwMCI and assisting with medication administration [,]. While caregiving for a family member can be fulfilling [], informal caregivers often experience increased emotional strain and a higher risk of depressive symptoms [,]. Previous research has shown that caregivers of PwMCI experience twice the caregiving burden of caregivers of cognitively healthy individuals. Therefore, cognitive impairment and reduced autonomy in daily activities negatively affect the QoL of both PwMCI and their informal caregivers [,].