This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Lévesque, L. Articles by Lachance, L. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Lévesque, L. Articles by Lachance, L. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

A one-year follow-up study of family caregivers of institutionalized elders with dementia

Francine Ducharme, PhD

Faculté des sciences infirmières, Université de Montréal; Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Lise Lachance, PhD

Département des sciences de l’éducation et de psychologie, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, Québec, Canada

The purpose of this one-year follow-up study was to determine whether the caregiving experience of primary caregivers (N = 142) of institutionalized demented elders changed over time and to identify the factors predictive of caregiver well-being after a year. Based on the stress and coping model of Lazarus and Folkman, five dimensions of this experience were considered: caregivers’ stressors, their cognitive appraisal of these stressors, social support, coping strategies and well-being (psychological distress and positive affect). MANOVA and t test results revealed that two stressors changed over time. The elders’ functional impairment deteriorated and their depressive behaviors decreased. However, there was no change in the appraised disturbance associated with these stressors. Conflicts in informal social support decreased significantly, but there was no change in well-being. More formal support at T1 was predictive of decreased psychological distress and increased positive affect at T2. A coping strategy, the use of affective regulation at T1, was also predictive of increased positive affect at T2. Knowledge of the caregiving experience over time and of predictors of caregiver well-being provides guidelines for interventions that could be directed at this clientele by health care workers in institutional settings.

American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias®, Vol. 15, No. 4, 229-238 (2000)
DOI: 10.1177/153331750001500405


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?