Assertiveness Training for Disabled Adults in Wheelchairs Self-Report, Role-Play, and Activity Pattern Outcomes

Thirty-four physically disabled adults participated in an 11-week assertiveness training (AT) program. Ss were randomly assigned to either AT or a waiting-list (WL) condition. Each was asked to complete three self-report measures, a role-play test, and a social and recreational activity diary. The AT Ss showed significant improvements on both self-reported assertiveness and role-play performance from pre- to posttreatment, whereas WL controls showed no changes on these measures. No significant changes in frequency of social or recreational activities were found at posttest for either AT or control Ss. A mixed pattern of results was shown at 6-month follow-up. Posttest gains were maintained across all self-report measures of assertiveness and acceptance of disability, whereas role-play performance approached baseline levels at 6-month follow-up. Overall results support the use of AT in enhancing perceived social efficacy and interpersonal skill of physically disabled adults in wheelchairs

Chronic Parenting Stress Moderating Versus Mediating Effects of Social Support

The present study contrasted the widely cited "buffer" model of social support with an alternative mediator model. Distinctions were drawn between the functions of social support under chronic vs. acute stress conditions, and between situation-specific stressors and major life events. Ongoing parenting stress was assessed in 96 mothers of deaf children and 118 matched controls. Tests of the competing models showed no moderating effects for social support. However, path analyses suggested that social support mediated the relationship between stressors and outcomes. Chronic parenting stress was associated with lowered perceptions of emotional support, and greater symptoms of depression and anxiety. Furthermore, parenting stress accounted for a substantial proportion of the variance in psychological distress scores in contrast to life event stress, which was only weakly related to psychological outcomes. The implications of mediational models for understanding adaptation to chronic stress are discussed

Information behavior of rural dementia caregivers over the course of counseling interventions

This poster reports findings from an analysis of 81 qualitative interviews with rural dementia caregivers who participated in two research projects that evaluated cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) problem-solving interventions designed to help them manage their caregiving and reduce depression. The research questions posed in this analysis are: (RQ1) How do rural dementia caregivers who have participated in a CBT program interact with the information around them and available to them? (RQ2) How do these caregivers manage, explicitly or tacitly, their information needs and uses? The analysis demonstrates similarities and differences in information behaviors and information environments across the caregivers; for example that physical information artifacts are important to different caregivers for varied reasons, and that religious communities fulfill multiple information-related roles. The findings demonstrate the importance of accounting for the unique constraints on older caregivers in designing interventions to improve and support their caregiving experiences. Creating links among people, such as connecting caregivers to similar others facing similar challenges, and providing them with a structure to allow them to focus on their goals, appear critical to the success of such interventions.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Key Themes in Black Dementia Caregiver Support: Linking Resources, Peer Communication, and Faith Community Outreach

We describe content analysis and present thematic visualizations using semi-structured interviews from participants of the African-American Alzheimer’s Caregiver Training and Support 2 (ACTS 2) Project in Florida. This telephone-based program provides faith worker-led skills training and support for distressed AA dementia caregivers. It facilitates integrated care and reduces dementia stigma through faith community partnerships. ACTS 2 serves North and Central FL. ACTS 2 uses mixed assessment methods including standardized questionnaires of depression, caregiver appraisals of burden and reward, social support and health status; and narrative data on various facets of program delivery and participant satisfaction. Evaluation uses prospective cohort designs, following participants from recruitment past completion. For this thematic analysis, we examined final thesis manuscripts for all 11 collaborating students who worked on ACTS 2 in the course of completing their MS degrees in the Bridge to Clinical Medicine program at FSU College of Medicine. We imported the thesis manuscripts into NVivo qualitative coding software and performed a series of content analyses. Results were cross-checked through manual review of student theses. Our content analyses highlight how ACTS 2 provides skills building and spiritual support for distressed AA dementia caregivers. We showcase thematic visualizations of how program success hinges on linkage of care resources across domains, phone communication to reach people in diverse geographic areas, and sustained outreach through relationships with clergy. We also describe implications for the scalability of ACTS 2 within and beyond Florida, and explore how this model can enrich the lives of AA dementia caregivers nationwide

"My greatest help comes from the Lord": Religion and the information behaviors of dementia caregivers

https://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/acir/2013/Papers/6/thumbnail.jpgHow do religious beliefs, practices and communities affect how caregivers of loved ones with dementia approach information seeking, information use, and information evaluation with respect to their caregiving activities? </p

African-American Lay Pastoral Care Facilitators’ Perspectives on Dementia Caregiver Education and Training

The African-American Alzheimer’s Caregiver Training and Support Project 2 (ACTS 2) is a faith-integrated, skills-training and support program for distressed African American family caregivers of persons living with dementia across Florida. Caregivers participate in a 12-week, telephone-based, skills-building and support program led by faith community workers (i.e., lay pastoral care facilitators) who provide volunteer services to their denominations. In this case study, we examined facilitators’ perspectives and recommendations for supplementary audiovisual and written training materials to optimize group process and goal-setting skills. Utilizing a qualitative approach, we explored facilitators’ needs, experiences in using current training materials, and recommendations for supplementary education. Data were collected through a telephone-based, focus group interview with nine ACTS 2 facilitators deploying grounded theory techniques. We identified six themes: personal reflections on facilitator roles and responsibilities, satisfaction with existing written materials, desire for supplementary audiovisual training materials, desire for additional training on data management and reporting, importance of peer support, and fostering a faith-integrated culture within the program. Our findings underscore the importance of engaging African American faith communities in fostering dementia caregiving skills training and support. We further highlight the implications of providing community-based training for African American facilitators to foster caregiver emotional well-being and physical health

Telehealth Interventions for Family Caregivers of Persons with Chronic Health Conditions: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective. The purpose of this study was to provide an in-depth analysis of the components and outcomes of telehealth interventions for family caregivers of individuals with chronic health conditions. Methods. A systematic review of 17 databases was conducted for randomized controlled trials published between January 2002 and January 2017. Interventions were analyzed based on type of telecommunication modality, caregiver and care recipient characteristics, intervention components, and caregiver outcomes. Results. A total of 57 articles met criteria for inclusion. Telephone was the most frequently used mode of telehealth delivery and focused primarily on caregivers of older adults with dementia and stroke. Skills training was the most prevalent treatment strategy across telephone, web, and combined telephone and web modalities. Improved psychological functioning was reported most frequently across telehealth modalities. Conclusion. Telehealth is an effective tool in delivering caregiver interventions and leads to significant improvement in caregiver outcomes. Telephone was used most often to deliver cognitive-behavioral and psychoeducational strategies as compared to web and combined telephone and web modalities. Further research is needed to examine the effects of telehealth interventions on caregiving skills and self-efficacy, as well as health outcomes