NURSING HOME PLACEMENT IMPACT ON PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT OF FAMILY CAREGIVER

York College, New York NY

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

This longitudinal study will examine the adjustment of the primary caregiver when the care recipient enters a nursing home. The research will examine potential predictors of positive or negative psychological adjustment: family adaptability and cohesion prior to illness onset, social support to the caregiver, coping strategies used by the caregiver, and the caregiver's ability to relinquish the caregiver role to nursing home staff. In-person, structured interviews will be conducted with 125 family caregivers of newly admitted nursing home residents. Caregivers will be interviewed twice within two weeks of nursing home placement (Time 1) and four months following admission (Time 2). The following hypotheses and research questions will be tested: (1) greater adaptability will be related to lower burden and depression at Time 2; (2) caregivers from more adaptable families will be more likely to accept a care management role by Time 2, reflecting role changes brought about by placement. (3) family members who maintain a caregiver role at Time 2 will experience higher levels of depression and burden (4) family cohesion may predict the caregiver's psychological adjustment to nursing home placement; (5) family caregivers with more personal resources, such as social support and the use of problem-focused or cognitively-oriented coping strategies, will experience lower levels of burden and depression. Research has shown that caregivers experienced continued burden, physical and psychological distress following nursing home placement. This research will provide important data to social service providers as they work with family caregivers. Identify predictors of positive adaptation. Providers could also use the information to identify caregivers at higher risk for adjustment difficulties, and work with them early in the placement process to avoid more serious problems later.