Research priorities of people living with Turner syndrome

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148393/1/ajmgc31676.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148393/2/ajmgc31676_am.pd

Accentuate the Positive: The Association Between Informal and Formal Supports and Caregiving Gains

Background: To promote resilience among caregivers for persons living with dementia (PLWDs), we examine how formal and informal supports are linked to caregiving gains, and whether gender moderates the association between supports and gains. Method: Using the National Health and Aging Trends Study and associated National Study of Caregiving, sources of informal (emotional support, practical support, and help with the PLWD) and formal support (respite care, training program, support group) are considered as predictors of caregiving gains, with gender as a moderator of these associations. The sample included 707 caregivers for 502 PLWDs. Results: Greater caregiving gains were significantly associated with emotional support from friends/family (β = 0.14, SE = 0.09, p = .03). Furthermore, attending a caregiver training program was only associated with increased caregiving gains among men (β = 0.11, SE = 0.08, p = .02). Conclusion: Emotional support from family/friends appears particularly consequential for caregiving gains, and male caregivers may benefit most from programs that emphasize skill building

Characterizing dementia caregiver style in managing care challenges: Cognitive and behavioral components

BackgroundCaring for a person living with dementia can take a physical and emotional toll, but understudied is the process by which family caregivers actually provide care. Caregiver management styles may vary and affect care decision-making, experiences, receptivity to and participation in interventions, and outcomes for the caregiver and person living with dementia.MethodsParticipants included 100 primary family caregivers for persons with dementia who were on average 64 years old and had been providing care for 55 months, 74% women, and 18% nonwhite. Participants were interviewed in Michigan and Ohio regarding their cognitive and behavioral management of a recent care challenge and values guiding their decision-making. The rigorous and accelerated data reduction technique was used to analyze qualitative data leading to the identification of caregiving styles. Styles were compared across sample characteristics using chi-square and ANOVA tests.FindingsFive distinct styles emerged: "Externalizers" (superficial understanding, self-focused, and frequent expressions of anger or frustration), "Individualists" (provide care by going alone, emotionally removed, and lack management strategies), "Learners" (recognize need to change their approach but are stuck and emotionally turbulent), "Nurturers" (positive affect and empathy toward care and reflect natural mastery), and "Adapters" (arsenal of acquired management strategies and adapt to challenges). Style groups differed significantly in terms of age and use of formal care supports.DiscussionWe identified five distinct styles by which caregivers addressed care challenges using a robust qualitative methodology. Styles may be important to identify in order to better tailor interventions to needs and abilities

Discordant Chronic Conditions and Depressive Symptoms: Longitudinal Associations Among Middle-Aged and Older Couples

ObjectivesIndividuals often manage chronic conditions in middle and later life that may diminish well-being. Little is known, however, about discordant conditions (i.e., two or more conditions with competing self-management requirements) among older couples and their links to depressive symptoms. We considered discordant conditions at both the individual level and the couple level (i.e., between spouses), along with their long-term implications for depressive symptoms.MethodsThe U.S. sample included 1,116 middle-aged and older couples drawn from five waves (2006-2014) of the Health and Retirement Study. Longitudinal actor-partner interdependence models evaluated whether individual-level and couple-level discordant chronic health conditions were concurrently linked to depressive symptoms, and whether these associations became stronger over time. Models controlled for age, minority status, education, prior wave depressive symptoms, and each partner's baseline report of negative marital quality and number of chronic conditions in each wave.ResultsWives and husbands reported significantly greater depressive symptoms when they had individual-level discordant conditions about 2 years after baseline, and these links intensified over time. Beyond this association, husbands had significantly greater depressive symptoms when there were couple-level discordant conditions.DiscussionIndividual-level and couple-level discordant conditions may have lasting implications for depressive symptoms during midlife and older adulthood