Journal
JOURNAL OF FAMILY NURSING
Volume 17, Issue 2, Pages 224-240Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/1074840711405666
Keywords
spousal caregivers; spousal relationships; relationship quality; relational stress; caregiving burden; Alzheimer's disease; Parkinson's disease
Categories
Funding
- National Institute for Nursing Research [RO1 NR008285]
- Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development [AG00029]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The caregiving literature provides compelling evidence that caregiving burden and depressive symptoms are linked with stressful care relationships, however, relational difficulties around caregiving are seldom described in the literature. This article presents findings from content analysis of baseline interviews with 40 Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) spousal caregivers enrolled in a home care skill-training trial who identified their care relationship as a source of care burden. Disappointment and sadness about the loss of the relationship; tension within the relationship; and care decision conflicts within the relationship were recurrent themes of relational stress in caregiving. These spousal caregivers had relationship quality scores below the mean and burden and depressive symptom scores above the means of other caregivers in the study. These findings provide support for developing dyadic interventions that help spouses manage relational losses, care-related tensions, and care decision-making conflicts.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available