THE RELATIONSHIP AMONG FAMILY CAREGIVERS' STRESS, APPRAISAL, AND WAYS OF COPING WITH ELDERLY PARENT CARE STRAINS.
Contributors: Catholic University of America.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 184
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among elderly parent care strains as reported by family caregivers and the caregivers' stress, appraisal and ways of coping with parent care strains. The theoretical framework consisted of a psychological view of stress as a person-environment transaction (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and a sociological view of stress associated with strain of a chronic, enduring nature (Pearlin & Schooler, 1978).

A retrospective survey design (Shelly, 1984) was used to collect data from 72 family caregivers of cognitively competent, non-institutionalized elderly family members. A parent care task list (Clark & Rakowski, 1983) was used to designate the strain encounter for the study. A visual analogue scale (Ingham, 1969) was used to measure stress. The Ways of Coping Index (Folkman & Lazarus, 1980) measured emotion-focused and problem-focused coping behavior. Appraisal was measured by choosing one option from a four-item questionnaire (Folkman & Lazarus, 1980). Data were analyzed using analysis of variance and regression procedures.

Results. (1) Caregivers used significantly more emotion-focused coping for parent care strains in the intrapersonal and familial categories; (2) The use of emotion-focused coping was not significantly related to stress category (low-moderate-high) or appraisal option; (3) Using regression analysis, emotion-focused coping accounted for the majority of variance in stress level; (4) Caregiver use of problem-focused coping was not significantly related to parent care task category or stress category; (5) Caregivers who chose appraisal options "change," "information" and "inhibit" used significantly more problem-focused coping than those who chose appraisal option "accept.".

Conclusions. (1) Caregivers use a combination of problem-focused and emotion-focused behaviors in dealing with parent care situations classified as strains, particularly when they are appraised as "must be accepted or gotten used to." (2) The use of emotion-focused coping is somewhat greater as stress increases and the use of problem-focused coping is greater when the situation is appraised as amenable to some type of action. (3) Nurses should determine how family caregivers appraise parent care situations as a basis for planning interventions that are supportive to the caregiver.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-03, Section: B, page: 0704.

Thesis (D.N.SC.)--THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA, 1987.

School code: 0043.