The Caregiver Well-Being Scale measures caregiver well-being from a strengths-based perspective by assessing caregivers' basic human needs and satisfaction with activities of daily living. Examines the scale's psychometric properties using a caregiver-only sample. Determines reliability through internal consistency and supports construct validity…

Objectives: The main purposes of this study were to determine (1) the prevalence of depressive symptoms among foster caregivers, (2) the social-demographics, risk factors, and social support predicting depressive symptoms, and (3) whether social support buffered the effects of the risk factors in the Illinois Foster Caregivers Study. Method:…

Purpose: We adopted a feminist, structural approach to husbands' experiences of caring for wives with Alzheimer's disease. This framework posited that men and women draw upon gender repertoires--situational ideals of behavior based upon their respective structural locations--that create gendered experiences of stress and coping strategies. Design…

Purpose: Several studies have previously documented the existence of a perception gap--the extent to which quality-of-life ratings provided by nursing home residents and caregivers diverge. In this study we use Helson's adaptation-level theory to investigate three types of antecedents: (a) focal factors, (b) background factors, and (c) residual…

Stressful and positive family caregiving experiences were examined as predictors of caregivers' patterns of positive and negative affect in a sample of families providing care for a relative with dementia (N = 234). Four affect pattern groups were identified: (a) Well Adjusted (i.e., high positive affect, low negative affect); (b) Ambiguous (i.e.,…

This guide for trainers offers a comprehensive child-centered perspective on training field workers in early childhood education. The theme of the role of play in child growth, development, and learning runs throughout the guide while its form, a series of structured exercises to help trainers handle all aspects of the subject, emphasizes the…

For too long, researchers and policy makers have considered themselves to be the only experts able to define quality in child care. That children, parents, and teachers have their own expertise in this area is often denied. This article explores the points of view of these three parties and attempts to demonstrate that researchers must be prepared…

The frame analytical approach was used to explore the frames through which nine Finnish educators in early childhood programs interpret their working situations. Findings indicated that the educators interpreted their work through five different frames: educational, caring, managing, practical, and personal. Frames provided the rules and…

Using a conceptual stress development model that treats informal supports and competency as potential mediators, examined outcomes of caregiving in samples of black and white caregivers. A perceived lack of informal supports and a sense of incompetency exacerbated stress among black caregivers but had no effects among the white caregivers. (RJM)

Uses results from study of home child-caregivers' attitudes to examine how public/private discourses on mothering, professionalism, work, and caring contribute to providers' constructions of home child-carework. Focuses on providers' efforts to set boundaries between their business and the caring relationships developed with children and families,…

A multiple case-study design was used to explore the spontaneous play of three toddlers with disabilities as it emerged in the course of everyday activity in the home. Children were observed at home playing independently and with their mothers. Data consist of videotaped naturalistic observations in the children's homes and mothers' perspectives…

Background: This study explores the perceptions of a group of adults with intellectual disability regarding direct support staff. Method: Semi-structured interviews relating to experiences of direct support staff were developed from two focus groups. These interviews were conducted with 11 adults with intellectual disability residing within a…

Purpose: This study tested the accuracy with which the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, Level III (CDI-III), a parent report measure of language ability, discriminated children with language impairment from those developing language typically. Method: Parents of 58 children, 49 with typically developing language (age 30 to 42…

The National Intellectual Disability Database that operates in the Republic of Ireland is unique in Europe and provides an opportunity to examine trends over time for a total population in excess of 25,000 people with intellectual disabilities and their care arrangements. This paper describes the changes over a 10-year period in the proportion of…

We demonstrate the effectiveness of a procedure to increase compliance in young children who are resistant to Time-out (TO). Parents of two boys, 3 and 4 years of age, were unable to enforce TO without resorting to physical guidance and restraint. With deferred TO (DTO), if a child resists TO, caregivers no longer interact with the child or…