FOCAL AND CONTEXTUAL STIMULI INFLUENCING CAREGIVING IN SPOUSES OF OLDER ADULTS WITH DIABETES (ELDERLY).
Contributors: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Published: 1993
Number of pages: 146
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Gerontology.
Description: An escalating number of spouses are finding themselves responsible for the care of their diabetic mate. This trend can be attributed to the increasing incidence and morbidity of persons with diabetes receiving care in the home. As awareness of the stress produced by the spousal caregiving role has developed, a greater understanding of the stimuli mediating responses to caregiving is needed for nurses to effectively promote positive adaptational outcomes in this vulnerable population. The purpose of this study was to examine the interrelationships of involvement in care, marital quality, and preparedness for their influence on caregiver adaptive responses of impact on schedule, caregiver esteem, impact on health, impact on finances, and lack of family support. The Roy adaptation model (Roy, 1984) was used to guide the investigation.

A convenience sample of 51 spouse caregivers of older adults with diabetes was recruited from a home health care agency and a diabetes education center. Instruments utilized to collect data included a demographic form, caregiving involvement with activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL, diabetes care involvement, preparedness for caregiving, dyadic adjustment scale, and caregiving reaction assessment.

Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and blocked regression analyses. Results indicated that these spouse caregivers had a high degree of all types of involvement in care as well as a high level of marital quality and preparedness. The variance explained in responses to caregiving by all stimuli were substantial ranging from 26% to 63%. The inclusion of marital quality and preparedness added significant explained variance beyond involvement for all responses except finances. Most importantly, contextual stimuli, particularly marital quality, positively modified the effects of involvement in caregiving supporting the Roy adaptation model (Roy, 1984).

Results of this study add to the explanation of caregiving dynamics and have implications for the assessment plan and evaluation of care provided to older couples in the home. Responses to caregiving should be assessed in all modes as patterns of stimuli most affecting them differ. Also, nurses should assess marital quality to detect situations in which adaptive responses need further support.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-04, Section: B, page: 1377.

Thesis (D.S.N.)--UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM, 1993.

School code: 0005.