This study aims to examine the differential roles of the person-focused and lie-focused dimensions of the Attitudes toward Lying to People with Dementia scale (ALPD) in relation to therapeutic lying among social workers.
A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 253 Spanish social workers working with older adults. Correlations, t-tests, logistic regression and linear regression models were performed.
Both ALPD dimensions were strongly correlated but showed different associations. Person-focused attitudes were associated with use and frequency of therapeutic lying, whereas lie-focused attitudes were more strongly associated with acceptability.
The cross-sectional design and self-report measures limit causal inference and may introduce social desirability bias. The findings support analyzing ALPD dimensions separately in future research.
The findings highlight the importance of reflective and context-sensitive approaches to ethical decision-making and professional training in dementia care.
Understanding how professionals justify therapeutic lying may contribute to more informed and person-centered dementia-care practices.
Unlike previous studies using global ALPD scores, this study demonstrates that person-focused and lie-focused attitudes play distinct roles in professional decision-making and moral evaluation.
