In the United States, familial caregivers provide approximately 80% of the long term elderly care and are at risk for mental health problems. As family members provide care, relationships shift from mutual support to increasing dependency on the caregivers, who in turn often experience a shift in self-concept from their prior relational role to include identification as caregiver for the care recipient. Affectional solidarity, or emotional relationship quality, can influence how caregivers experience their shifting role in relationship to a loved one. The study examined whether role importance is associated with caregiver depression over time, and tested the moderating role of affectional solidarity in this association. A subset of caregivers (N = 57) from the Longitudinal Study of Generations constituted the sample from which role importance, affectional solidarity, and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression reports were analyzed using longitudinal hierarchical regression. Findings did not support hypotheses. Results suggested that affectional solidarity may be important to consider among familial caregivers as a potential protective factor for depression. Implications for future research and practitioners are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc700104 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Benson, Karen M. |
| Contributors | Hayslip, Bert, Riggs, Shelley Ann, 1961-, Watkins, C. Edward, Jr. |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | vi, 62 pages : illustration, Text |
| Coverage | United States |
| Rights | Public, Benson, Karen M., Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
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