Communication breakdown is a challenge for family caregivers of persons living with dementia. We adapted established theory and scales for computer-assisted behavioral coding to characterize caregiver communication for a secondary analysis. We developed verbal, nonverbal, and breakdown coding schemes and established reliability (κ > .85). Within the 221 family caregiving videos analyzed, 55 of exchanges were interactive, 30 were silence, 4 consisted of talking to self or others, and 8 included a breakdown. An average of 2.4 ( SD = 1.9) breakdowns occurred per observation and were successfully resolved 85 of the time, with 31 being resolved most successfully following only one flag and repair strategy. Caregivers were the primary speakers (67); their communication preceded most breakdown (65), and they primarily initiated the repairs after a breakdown (70). Common repair strategies included clarifications (31), asking questions (24), and repeating information (24). Associations between communication strategies and repair success will provide evidence for caregiver training.
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