Exemplary caregiving as a mediator of the effects of daily care bother on caregiver emotional outcomes

Harris, Grant (author)
Durkin, Daniel W. (author)
Allen, Rebecca S. (author)
Burgio, Louis D. (author)

62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Atlanta, GA

2009

Providing care to someone with dementia can be extremely burdensome. Despite the experience of a burdensome situation, caregivers (CGs) often report experiencing positive aspects or careglvlng (PAC). The transactional model of stress has been applied to the caregiving situation to help, explain what leads to positive and negative outcomes experienced by dementia caregivers. Daily Care Bother (DCB) and Exemplary careglvlng (EC) are new constructs that warrant further study within this model. Using the transactional model of stress, we examined the relation between caregiver subjective appraisal (DCB, Burden, and Behavioral Bother), Exemplary Caregivlng, and caregiver emotional outcomes (Depression and PAC). Specifically, EC was examined as a possible mediator of the effects of caregiver subjective appraisal on emotional outcomes. Analysis and Results: Regression analyses revealed that, after controlling for CG demographics and care recipient cognitive Impairment, EC partially mediates the relation between DCB and emotional outcomes. CGs with higher EC scores reported lower depression and higher PAC. Sobel test statistics were calculated and these Indicated that the strength of the mediation was significant. Findings for burden and behavioral bother were insignificant. Conclusions: CGs' perception of providing exemplary care to Individuals with dementia lessened the impact of DCB on CGs' symptoms of depression and Increased the probability that CGs would experience higher PAC. These data support use or the transactional model of stress and cognitive Interventions for caregivers targeting perceptions of quality of care.