The effect of coping strategies on burden among male Alzheimer\u27s caregivers

The purpose of the current study is to examine the coping strategies of an often understudied, growing population of Alzheimer’s disease informal caregivers, male caregivers. Additionally, the current study measured the effects of three styles of coping (task-focused coping, emotional-focused coping, and avoidant-focused coping) on the reported burden of the male AD caregivers. The sample included 138 male AD caregivers. The male AD caregivers in the current study reported moderate to severe burden. Task-focused coping strategies were the most commonly used styles of coping. The use of task-focused coping had no effect on the burden reported by the caregivers in the study. Both emotion-focused and avoidant-focused coping, contributed to increased burden among the male AD caregivers in the study

Informal Caregiving Strain: Exploring The Impact Of Gender, Race, And Income

Informal caregivers are those who provide care without compensation. In the US, eighty-five percent of elderly individuals receive care from an informal caregiver, and this number is expected to increase at a steady rate in future years. Within this role, caregivers often experience different types of strain, stemming from physical, emotional, and financial demands. Guided by intersectionality theory, this thesis explored the relationship between informal caregiving strains and gender, race, and income. This thesis also took into consideration various control variables, including age, marital status, education, number of hours spent providing care, and employment status. Data from the 2015 Caregiving in the US survey (N = 1,248) were used. Findings indicated male informal caregivers reported more financial strain than female informal caregivers, White women reported more emotional strain than Non-White women, and those with higher incomes reported less financial strain. Results also indicated that gender, race, and income were not significantly related to physical strain among informal caregivers. Implications, limitations, and areas to be considered for future research were discussed

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

Effect of Caregiver’s Burden and Life Satisfaction on Older Adults Care Providers Psychological Well-Being in Ondo State

This study investigated the effects caregivers’ burden and life satisfaction on older adults care providers psychological well-being in Ondo state. Descriptive research design was adopted for the study and the population comprised of older adults care providers in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State. A random sampling technique was used to select 180 participants. Three instruments were used measure the studied variables. The data collected were analysed using two-ways analysis of variance. Results obtained from this study showed that there were significant joint effects of caregiver’s burden and life satisfaction on older adults care providers psychological well-being in Ondo state. Based on these findings, it was recommended that the government and non-governmental organizations should endeavours to find means of managing psychological attributes such as caregiver’s self-efficacy, emotional labour, psychological well-being, and social networks of older adults care providers in Nigeria and it also recommended that, training programmes should be designed for older adult’s caregivers to enhance psychological well-being and life satisfaction, including coping strategies for caregiver burden in Nigeria. Keywords: Caregiver’s Burden, Life Satisfaction and Psychological Well-Being

“So I Just Took Over”: African American Daughters Caregiving for Parents With Heart Failure

This article examines the experiences of African American women who are caring for a parent with heart failure. Seven adult daughter caregivers completed in-depth, qualitative interviews, and a phenomenological approach was used for data analysis. Results suggest the presence of caregiving stressors, including heart failure symptoms and comorbidity, caregiving duties, social–emotional stressors, and distrust of the health system. Relevant coping strategies included valuing the caregiving role, coordinating care with siblings, taking charge, and spirituality. Social workers can play a critical role in supporting and advocating for caregivers of persons with heart failure, helping them to cope with stressors associated with advanced illness, connecting families with culturally acceptable services, and facilitating communication between families and health care providers

Depression, Anxiety, Hazardous Drinking, Subjective Burden, and Rewards in Family Caregivers of Patients With Chronic Liver Disease

This descriptive correlation study had three purposes. The study first described depressive and anxiety symptom levels, prevalence of hazardous drinking, rewards, and subjective burden reported by family caregivers of patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). Second, the investigator compared depressive and anxiety symptom levels, prevalence of hazardous drinking, rewards, and subjective burden reported by African Americans family caregivers with those reported by Caucasian family caregivers of patients with CLD. The third purpose was to determine the predictors of subjective burden and mental health status of family caregivers of persons with CLD. A convenience sample of 73 caregivers of patients receiving care in a university-based, hepatology practice located in a large metropolitan city in the Mid-South provided data for the study. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Anxiety was measured with the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A). Hazardous drinking was measured with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Subjective burden was measured using Zarit’s Burden Interview (BI) and caregiver rewards were assessed with Picot Caregiver Rewards Scale (PCRS). An investigator developed demographic data form was used to obtain caregiver and patient characteristics. The Pearlin Stress Process Model (SPM) provided the conceptual basis for the study. Cronbach alpha coefficients obtained for the CES-D, HAM-A, AUDIT, BI, and PCRS scales ranged from .72 to .93. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, Mann Whitney tests, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, Spearman’s rho correlation, and stepwise multiple regression analyses. The sample consisted of more Caucasians (65.8%) than African Americans (30.1%) and more females (78%) than males (22%). Caregivers were typically married (53%), middle-aged (48.2 ± 14.7 years) high school graduates (12.4 ± 2.6 years). Most caregivers were employed full-time (41.1%).The study sample reported mild depressive symptoms, little or no anxiety or hazardous drinking, mild distress for subjective burden, and moderate caregiver rewards scores. Caucasians had a slightly higher though non-significant depressive symptom score when compared to African Americans. Both African American and Caucasian caregivers in this study reported experiencing little to no anxiety and the prevalence of hazardous drinking was low for both groups. African Americans’ mean subjective burden score reflected little to no burden while Caucasian caregivers’ scores reflected mild burden; these differences were not statistically significant. African American caregivers reported significantly higher mean rewards scores compared to Caucasian caregivers. Stepwise regression analyses were performed to determine the degree to which selected independent variables significantly contributed to the explained variance in depressive and anxiety symptom levels, subjective burden, and caregiver rewards for the entire sample. Income decrease, worried about children, caregiver ethnicity, and caregiver gender were regressed on depressive symptoms. The variable worried about children (beta=.24, p =.05) remained in the final model and accounted for 6% of the adjusted variance in depressive symptom scores (F (1, 62) =4.768, p=.03). Worried about children was significantly and positively associated with increased depressive symptoms. Caregiver support, income decrease, worried about children, and activities of daily living were regressed on anxiety symptom levels. None of these variables significantly predicted anxiety symptom levels. In contrast, income decrease (beta=.35, p=.003) and worried about children (beta=.35, p=.003) predicted 25% of the adjusted variance in subjective burden (F (2, 56) =10.9, p=≤.000). Caregiver ethnicity (beta=.37, p=.001) and employment (beta=-.33, p=.003 accounted for 22 % of the variance in caregivers rewards (F (2, 66) =10.7, p=≤.000). Caregivers who were African American reported greater rewards and unemployed caregivers reported fewer rewards associated with the caregiver role. Findings are consistent with previous studies showing that African American caregivers experience more caregiver rewards compared to Caucasian caregivers though differences in burden did not occur. Caregivers who were worried about their children experienced more depressive symptoms and subjective burden. In contrast with published studies in other caregiver populations, neither length of care nor severity of symptoms significantly correlated with subjective burden or depressive symptoms in the study sample. Programs have been developed in three states to off-set caregiving-related income decreases, which could be an effective approach in this sample of caregivers who reported significant decreases in income. Further research could be conducted using focus groups to explore caregiver concerns related to children and this information could provide direction to reduce the burden and depressive symptoms associated with this variable. Research is also needed to determine if ethnic differences in the perception of rewards mediate or moderate the experience of burden and depressive symptoms in the study population. Interventions are particularly needed for depressive symptoms as clinically significant levels were present and clinical referrals warranted in this study sample

Caracterização demográfica de cuidadores informais de idosos com accidente vascular cerebral e demência em Santiago de Cuba /

La presente investigación10 se realizó para caracterizar demográficamente a una población de cuidadores informales de pacientes con ictus y demencia, e identificar la relación estadística entre características demográficas y patologías asociadas a la tarea de cuidador. Para ello se realizó un estudio descriptivo con 237 cuidadores. Se aplicó una Encuesta para obtener la información necesaria. El análisis de datos implicó estadística descriptiva y correlacional. El 71.7% de cuidadores fue mujer, el 28.3% hombre. La edad media es de 49.83 años, y el tiempo medio de dedicación a la tarea de 42.86 meses. El 49.4% de cuidadores son hijos o parejas del enfermo, el 50.6% tiene otros vínculos consanguíneos. El 53.2% es cuidador a tiempo completo, mientras 46.7% a tiempo parcial..Universidad Autónoma del Caribe

The feminization of aging: How will this impact on health outcomes and services?

We conducted an integrative review to identify issues and challenges that face aging women and to distinguish areas for future research. We found that many older women continue to face inequities related to health and often are invisible within the discourse of aging policy. In this article we argue for a greater focus on the unique needs of women, a gendered approach to policy and intervention development, and promotion of the health of women across the life span. Policymakers, health care workers, and researchers need to consider the perspective of gender as well as age when implementing and evaluating effective interventions. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Ajuste psicológico y clasificación de mujeres cuidadoras de nietos y nietas y/o ascendientes en función de su inteligencia emocional

El envejecimiento de la población y la cultura actual en torno a los cuidados han propiciado un aumento del número de abuelas cuidadoras, ya sea de sus nietos o nietas, de sus ascendentes, o incluso de ambas generaciones simultáneamente. Con el objetivo de conocer más en profundidad las consecuencias psicológicas de este fenómeno, se llevaron a cabo entrevistas estructuradas a 115 mujeres del suroeste de España que eran abuelas, a la vez que hijas o nueras de una generación anterior. Se ha realizado un análisis de cluster bietápico para clasificar a estas mujeres según su inteligencia emocional. Las mujeres han quedado distribuidas casi al 50% en dos grupos claramente diferenciados. El primer grupo, caracterizado por mayor flexibilidad, tolerancia al estrés y control de los impulsos, aglutina una mayor proporción de mujeres residentes en entornos urbanos y con mayor nivel de estudios, y muestra niveles significativamente más altos de salud psicológica y felicidad. En cambio, el segundo grupo de mujeres, caracterizadas por menor inteligencia emocional, obtiene puntuaciones significativamente más altas en estrés y ansiedad. Este estudio pone de manifiesto la importancia de incluir la promoción de estas habilidades de inteligencia emocional en programas de prevención y promoción de la salud en este colectivo.The aging of the population and the current culture of caregiving have led to an increase in the number of grandmothers who care for their grandchildren, their ancestors, or even both generations simultaneously. In order to know more deeply the psychological consequences of this phenomenon, 115 structured interviews were conducted with women from southwestern Spain who were grandmothers and, at the same time, who were daughters or daughters-in-law from a previous generation. A two-stage cluster analysis was performed to classify these women according to their emotional intelligence. Women have been distributed almost 50% in two clearly differentiated groups. The first group, characterized by higher flexibility, stress tolerance and impulse control, brings together a greater proportion of women living in urban environments and with a higher level of studies, and shows significantly higher levels of psychological health and happiness. In contrast, the second group of women, characterized by lower emotional intelligence, scores significantly higher in stress and anxiety. This study highlights the importance of including the promotion of these emotional intelligence skills in prevention and health promotion programs in this collective of women

Exploring Changes in Caregiver Burden and Caregiving Intensity due to COVID-19

This study explored self-reported changes in caregiving intensity (CI) and caregiver burden (CB) among informal caregivers due to the COVID-19 pandemic overall and by gender. Informal caregivers for someone age 50+ completed a survey via Amazon’s MTurk in June 2020. Participants reported changes in CI and CB due to COVID-19 and provided demographic information. Multinomial logistic regression models assessed changes in CI and CB attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic overall and by gender. The sample (n = 835) was 68.5% male and had an average age of 34 years (SD 9.8); 55.7% had increased CI, and 53.1% had increased CB attributed to the pandemic. Increased CB due to COVID-19 was associated with increased CI (OR 5.67, 95% CI 3.92–8.00). Male caregivers with decreased CI due to COVID-19 were nearly seven times as likely as those with no change in CI to have reduced CB due to COVID-19 (OR 6.91, 95% CI 3.29–14.52). Women with decreased CI due to COVID-19 were over eight times as likely to have reduced CB due to COVID (OR 8.30, 95% CI 2.66–25.91). Results indicate that many caregivers experienced increases in CI and CB since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that these changes are complex and vary by gender