Year: 2008
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Using a sample of 618 (414 females, 204 males) informal dementia caregivers, the relationships between the stressor (care recipient dementia severity), appraisal (overload, loss, gain, competence, satisfaction), coping (problem-focused, emotionfocused), and psychological wellbeing (positive affect, negative affect, depression) were assessed.Simple and multiple mediation analyses were performed.Caregiver appraisals mediated the effects of stress on coping, and coping mediated the effects of appraisal on wellbeing.Loss was the strongest predictor of emotion-focused coping, and emotionfocused coping predicted negative wellbeing.Positive appraisals predicted problemfocused coping, which predicted positive wellbeing.Competence predicted a third type of coping, acceptance, and acceptance was adaptive for both male and female caregivers.However, caregiver gender moderated the relationship between coping and psychological outcomes under specific circumstances.Structural equation modeling was used to model the multiple mediation results; but the complex nature of the caregiving stress and coping process precluded the development of a practically useful model.
Author: Elizabeth K. Stevens
Institution: Case Western Reserve University
Language: English
Topic: Nursing care and research
Subfield: Research and Theory
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1784773586