Purpose: To explore in a sample of older African Americans how religious songs were used to cope with stressful life events and to explore the religious beliefs associated with these songs. Design and Methods: Sixty-five African American older adults residing in the Southeastern US participated in a qualitative descriptive study involving…

Purpose: The purpose of this experimental study was to test the efficacy of a psychoeducational individual program conceived to facilitate transition to the caregiver role following diagnosis of Alzheimer disease in a relative. Design and Methods: Caregivers were recruited in memory clinics and randomized to an experimental group (n = 62) or a…

Purpose: Individuals with dementia (IWDs) face particular challenges in managing and coping with their illness. The experience of dementia may be affected by the etiology, stage, and severity of symptoms, preexisting and related chronic conditions, and available informal and formal supportive services. Although several studies have examined…

Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to test the stress process model (SPM; Pearlin, Mullan, Semple, & Skaff, 1990) in a racially diverse sample of Alzheimer's caregivers (CGs) using structural equation modeling (SEM) and regression techniques. A secondary aim was to examine race or ethnicity as a moderator of the relation between latent…

Purpose: Although it is widely recognized that caregivers of individuals with dementia experience elevated stress that places them at increased risk for health problems, little is known about how caregiving stress may be alleviated among underserved ethnic minority populations. The purpose of this study was to compare a complementary and…

Purpose: The majority of dependent older adults receive care at home from a family member. Caregiving places enormous demands on these caregivers and the negative consequences associated with caregiving are well documented. In this study we compared the effectiveness of two active interventions to a waiting-list control condition to improve…

Found responses to open-ended coping questions asked of 100 older participants in Second Duke Longitudinal Study were commonly religious in nature. For at least one of three stressful periods inquired about, 45 percent of sample mentioned religious coping behavior. Subject characteristics refuted view of religion as relevant only to the poor and…

Purpose: This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Dyadic Relationship Scale (DRS), which measures negative and positive dyadic interactions from the perspective of both the patient and the family caregiver. An important aspect of evaluating the DRS was that it be statistically sound and meaningful for both members of the dyad.…

Purpose: We examined whether written emotional disclosure reduces stress and improves health outcomes for family caregivers of physically frail and cognitively impaired older adults, as it has been shown to do for certain student and clinical populations. Design and Methods: Primary caregivers of older adults attending a day program were randomly…

Examined whether newly admitted nursing home patients' anticipated stresses of institutional care would relate to their experiences of stress one and three months later, and whether patients' experiences of stress would correspond to independent judgments of the quality of the nursing homes. Patients experienced the kinds of stresses they…

Compared four groups of parent caring daughters. Found that the "conflicted" workers and women who had quit work had the most impaired mothers and more of them had experienced lifestyle disruptions and caregiving strain. Two groups of workers were more career-oriented; two groups of nonworkers held more traditional views of women's…

Evaluated the effectiveness of group interventions for caregivers of elderly dementia patients. Indicated that, although caregivers rated the groups as quite helpful, group participation did not lead to improvements on objective measures of depression, life satisfaction, social support, or coping variables. (Author/ABB)

Analyzed the consequences of incontinence for both the family members caring for the incontinent elderly and for the elderly. Found that incontinence was related to perceived negative affect in family relations and to considering an alternative care arrangement. Suggests that interventions directed to the management of incontinence may help to…

Describes development and dissemination of Volunteer Information Provider Program (VIPP), an informational sharing program to assist rural family caregivers of older adults, first piloted in Missouri and later disseminated to 20 states. (Author/CM)

Describes intervention program in which caregiving wives/daughters are taught several specific skills (learning to relax in very stressful situations and learning to be appropriately assertive with frail elders and other family members) to enable them to manage their frustrations more effectively. Presents class content and structure, along with…