Table 2 Key Studies Investigating Health and Well-being of Caregivers of the Elderly
From: Caregiving process and caregiver burden: Conceptual models to guide research and practice
Author & Year | Sample | Factors investigated | Associations |
|---|---|---|---|
Caserta, Lund & Wright[50] 1996 | 160 caregivers | Examine the multidimensional nature of caregiver burden by analyzing the patterns of association between 5 dimensions of burden | Time dependence was the most influenced by patient impairment and caregiving involvement Emotional burden was largely a function of caregiving satisfaction Physical health measures explained little variance in physical burden, which was mostly explained by depression Findings lend support to a multidimensional view of burden |
Evans, Bishop & Ousley[42] 1992 | 181 caregivers in final sample | Assessed positive, neutral and negative aspects of caregiving And impact of caregiving on family functioning | No clinical or statistical difference, although moderately more anxiousness, depressive and somatic symptoms were reported during the duration of the caregiving experience Family relation s seemed to be a source of strength |
Kiecolt-Glaser, Dura, Speicher, Trask, Glaser[39] 1991 | 69 spousal caregivers with > 5 years in role compared to matched controls 13 month time frame | Depression, immune function and health | Caregivers show decreases in cellular immunity, more days of infectious illness, greater incidence of depressive disorders, those who had less social support, and were most distressed by their role showed the greatest negative changes in immune function |
Mittleman, Ferris, Shulman, Steinberg, Ambinder, Mackell & Cohen[23] 1995 | 206 spouse-caregivers randomly assigned to either treatment or control group, 173 completed the study | Psychosocial intervention program (individual family counseling, continuous ad-hoc counseling availability, and support groups) and depression in caregivers of Alzheimer's patients | After 1 year, control group became increasingly depressed while intervention group remained stable; by the 8th month, treated caregivers were significantly less depressed than control group Suggests enhancing long-term social support can have a significant impact on depression in caregivers |
MaloneBeach E, Zarit S & Farbman D[60] 1995 | 43 family caregivers to demented elders | Relationship of daily mood and daily events in a caregiving context | Some caregivers are highly distressed by caregiving demands, some report moderate levels of distress, and others show no relationship between mood and daily events |
Morrissey, Becker & Rupert[51] 1990 | 47 spouses of patients with AD caring form them in the home | Marriage, work, recreation and mood were investigated as a function of patient's disability level and coping resources which were available or used | Patient's disability level has more negative impact on the caregiver's marriage and recreation, work had a reverse relationship |
Schulz, O'Brien, Bookwala, Fleissner[22] 1995 | Review of the literature of caregiving for adults with AD | Depressive symptoms | Virtually all studies report elevated levels of depressive symptoms among caregivers. |
Sisk, R[52] 2000 | 121 predominantly female caregivers, mean age 61.1 years | Perception of burden and health-promoting behaviors of caregivers | Those perceiving lower subjective burden practice more health-promoting behaviors than those with higher subjective burden scores |
Skaff M, Pearlin L, Mullen J[33] 1996 | 456 spouses and adult children caring for a family member with Alzheimer's disease | The impact of transitions in careers of Alzheimer's caregivers on their sense of mastery | For those who continue to care for their relative, mastery declines; for those who place their relative in a care facility, mastery remains unchanged; for those who experience death of their relative, mastery increases |