Just Doing What They Gotta Do: Single Black Custodial Fathers Coping With the Stresses and Reaping the Rewards of Parenting

For single African American custodial fathers, parenting stress is exacerbated by the cultural expectation that Black fathers are normally absent and by the clustering of stresses that Black men are more likely to encounter. This sample of African American fathers have used a repertoire of problem-focused and cognitive coping strategies, including some that are frequently considered culturally specific. Twenty Black single custodial fathers are interviewed and their narratives are analyzed for concepts and thematic categories related to stress and coping. Their narratives indicate that certain strategies are avoided because (a) these strategies are not available to them and (b) they desire to present themselves as independent and competent, thus resisting stereotypes and building a sense of efficacy

Guide to Recruiting Black Men as Mentors for Black Boys

Black men are uniquely positioned to help guide black male youth to educational success and a productive future and through the barriers that stand in their way. But there are almost always more black boys to be mentored than black men to mentor them in formal mentoring programs. This guide helps mentoring programs engage in a productive and inclusive recruitment campaign by: 1) addressing program readiness; and 2) providing guidance on an effective social marketing campaign

Family care-giving and religion: Evidence from micro-data in the United States

Purpose: Examining the linkage between self-reported ethnicity and the propensity for family-based informal health care, this study considers cultural connections to religion as a possible explanation for ethnic difference. Design and Methods: Nation-wide survey respondents (N = 2,126) were selected on the basis of having a parent requiring long-term care now or in the near future, and weighted according to age, gender, and self-reported Hispanic ethnicity. A probit analysis tested the association of Hispanic ethnicity, as well as several other explanatory variables, with the possibility of the respondent assuming the primary caregiving role for the elderly family member. Results: While there was a significant association between Hispanic ethnicity and family elder care, there was no significant relationship between religion and family elder care. There was additionally no significant association with level of income. Implications: This research reiterates, using recent micro-data, that there is indeed a connection between ethnicity and family elder care. However, we show that religion is not one of the facets underlying such ethnic difference. While we have taken an initial step in quantitatively defining cultural attributes, more research is needed to determine where ethnic differences may originate

The role of religious/spiritual coping among African-American informal caregivers of older adults, 2007

This study examined the relationship of sociodemographic background, religious/spiritual coping, overall health, and perceived stress among a sample of African-American informal caregivers of physically and emotionally dependent community dwelling older adults. Quantitative data used in this study was provided by participants selected from the first wave of the longitudinal Family Relationships in Late Life Two (FRILL2) Study; The Family Relationship in Late Life (FRILL, R01AG15321) project is funded by the National Institute of Health/National Institute on Aging. The findings reported in this study included 173 African-American caregivers from a total number of respondents (N = 417) who participated in the FRILL2 Study. The majority of the participants of this study were married (52%) females (70%) providing care to co-residing older adults sixty-five years of age or older (87%) who lived in various communities. The results of the study indicated a strong relationship between the utilization of religious/spiritual coping and perceived stress among African American informal caregivers of physically and emotionally dependent community dwelling older adults

THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS COPING IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE CAREGIVING

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and other dementias are one of the most critical public health problems in elderly populations. Whereas the financial, emotional and physical costs of the disease for the caregiver are enormous, support for the caregiver becomes more and more important. One aspect of caregiver support, however, religious coping and well-being in caregivers of AD has been relatively unexplored. Using baseline data from the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health (REACH) II study, this study examined the relationship between religious coping, burden, depression and race among 211 African-American, 220 White and 211 Hispanic caregivers. Structural Equation Modeling was used to test our path model and Multi-sample SEM was used for a test of moderating effect of race. Caregiver burden mediated the effect of religious coping on depression with higher religious coping resulting in lowering caregiver burden and thereby reducing depression. The only path that was not predicted and had to be added to the model was between religious attendance and depression. While the overall MSEM test was not significant, separate analyses showed some variations in relationships among groups. The religious coping mediation model was better supported by African Americans than Hispanic and White caregivers. The findings suggest that religiosity plays an important role in decreasing caregiver burden and thereby decreasing depression. The findings also suggest that it may be culturally sensitive and appropriate to encourage African American caregivers to utilize religious coping resources. Greater understanding of religious coping and its role in the caregiving process helps researchers discover better ways to assist racially diverse caregivers in dealing with burdens of AD caregiving

A Study about Older African American Spousal Caregivers of Persons with Alzheimer\u27s Disease

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was threefold: (a) to assess the relationships between boundary ambiguity, spirituality, marital relationship quality, and caregiver strain and depression among older African American spousal caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD); (b) to identify which variables are the best predictors of caregiver strain; and (c) to identify which variables are the best predictors of depression. The sample consisted of 25 female and 15 male spouses, who were ages 60 to 87. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. Marital relationship quality was correlated with the two dependent variables, caregiver strain and depression. In hierarchical multiple regression, a model containing gender, years since spouse’s diagnosis with AD and marital relationship quality predicted 40% of the variance in caregiver strain. Marital relationship quality was the only significant predictor for depression. The model containing marital relationship quality predicted 22% of the variance in depression. Additional findings were that participants scored high on the spirituality measure, that years since diagnosis of AD was negatively correlated with boundary ambiguity, spirituality, and caregiver strain, that there was a significant decrease in the quality of the marital relationship since the spouse became a caregiver, and that almost half had no help with caregiving. There was limited support for the proposed conceptual model, therefore, a revised model was proposed. Based on the study results, in dealing with spouses who are providing caregiving to AD patients, nurses need to assess the quality of the marital relationship, and to recognize that the longer the spouse is a caregiver the greater the strain and depression, and that community resources need to be mobilized to assist the spouse with caregiving. A depression screen and marital assessment may provide cues regarding psychosocial needs of spousal caregivers

Women’s Sexual Satisfaction in the Context of Midlife Relationships: Examining an Ecological Model and Intergenerational Caregiving

This study examined an ecological model of sexual satisfaction in midlife women in relationships, and paid particular attention to the role of intergenerational caregiving in predicting satisfaction. Participants were 1,411 midlife women in relationships who participated in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) national study. Using split samples for replication purposes, data from this survey were examined to test the hypothesis that an ecological model - including the macrosystem level variable of religiosity, the exosystem level variables of SES, social support, and parenthood, the mesosystem level variables of relationship satisfaction, affectual solidarity, relationship length, and sexual functioning, and the microsystem level variables of age, negative affect, and physical health and functioning – would together predict sexual satisfaction. This study also hypothesized that family caregiving status, and specifically being an intergenerational caregiver, would add to the predictive power of the existing model, with caregiving associated with decreased satisfaction. Further, this study hypothesized that the extent of the intergenerational caregiving role would be negatively associated with sexual satisfaction, above and beyond caregiving status. Finally, this study hypothesized that the relationship between extent of intergenerational caregiving and sexual satisfaction would be moderated by perceived partner support, and that this relationship would be mediated by levels of negative affect. Support for an ecological model of sexual satisfaction was found, with income, affectual solidarity, and sexual function significantly contributing to sexual satisfaction across both split samples. However, caregiver status was not associated with sexual satisfaction and did not add any predictive power to the existing ecological model. Taken together, results suggest that an ecological model is a relevant organizing framework for understanding sexual satisfaction in this population of women

Attachment to Conventional Institutions and Adolescent Rapid Repeat Pregnancy: A Longitudinal National Study Among Adolescents in the United States

There is limited research on rapid repeat pregnancies (RRP) among adolescents, especially using nationally representative samples. We examine distal factors—school, family, peers, and public/private religious ties—and their associations with RRP among adolescent mothers

Investigating adaptive coping mechanisms in elderly spousal cargivers

This research investigated the coping strategies that elderly caregivers use when caring for a spouse with brain impairment, categorizing their strategies into an external or internal locus of control

Investigating adaptive coping mechanisms in elderly spousal cargivers

This research investigated the coping strategies that elderly caregivers use when caring for a spouse with brain impairment, categorizing their strategies into an external or internal locus of control