scholarly journals Different Statistical Approaches to Develop a Guideline for Improvement of Caregiver’s Mental Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 858-859
Author(s):  
Amanda Leggett ◽  
Hyun Jung Koo
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Decision Rules ◽  
Regression Tree ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Recipient ◽  
National Study ◽  
Dementia Caregivers ◽  
Emotional Difficulty ◽  
Caregiver Mental Health ◽  
Tree Models

Abstract Caregiver burden is common, and improvement of caregivers’ mental health could lead to better quality of care and well-being for both caregivers and care recipients. We investigate ways to develop a guideline to enhance caregiver’s mental well-being by applying and comparing regression tree and ensemble tree models. Data comes from the 2017 National Health and Aging Trends Study and National Study of Caregiving. Dementia caregivers’ (n=945) aspects of caregiving, care activities, support environment, and participation along with basic demographics and health are considered. First, insignificant predictors are preselected using linear regression with backward selection, which will not be included in the tree models. Using the predetermined predictors that are not excluded in the backward selection method, regression tree and ensemble tree models are generated to predict emotional difficulty of caregivers. The regression tree with the preselected predictors predicts caregivers with low to moderate levels of overload and high levels of joy being with their care recipient associated with the lowest level of emotional difficulty. On the other hand, if caregivers have high levels of overload and low to moderately high levels of positive affect, this is linked with the highest level of emotional difficulty. Ensemble tree models showed similar results with lower error measures. Using tree-based methods can help determine the most important predictors of caregiver mental health. Easily interpretable results with applicable decision rules can provide a guideline for intervention developers.

scholarly journals Predicting Depression in Dementia Caregivers: Do Religious/Spiritual Struggles Play a Role?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 864-864
Author(s):  
Elizabeth MacDougall
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Problem Behaviors ◽  
Care Recipient ◽  
Spiritual Struggle ◽  
Dementia Caregivers ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Dementia Caregiver ◽  
Caregiver Mental Health ◽  
Spiritual Struggles ◽  
Clinically Significant

Abstract Using a stress process framework model, this study is the first to comprehensively examine the role that religious/spiritual struggles play in the lives of informal dementia caregivers. A convenience sample of 156 informal dementia caregivers completed a scale measuring six domains of religious/spiritual struggles, as well as other measures of primary stressors, background/contextual variables, and mental health outcome (depression). Overall levels of religious/spiritual struggle were low, but 26 percent of the sample were classified as possible cases of clinically significant religious/spiritual struggle for at least one of the six domains. Of this group, 49 percent acknowledged struggles with ultimate meaning. Religious/spiritual struggles predicted greater self-reported depression over and above number of care recipient problem behaviors (primary stressor), caregiver sex, and caregiver personality (i.e., emotional stability). Although no individual domain of religious/spiritual struggle emerged as most salient, caregivers reported significantly more ultimate meaning struggles than demonic or interpersonal struggles. These findings support the growing body of research suggesting that religious/spiritual struggles serve as a secondary stressor, adding predictive power to background/contextual factors and to primary stressors for informal dementia caregiver mental health outcomes. Further research in this area may advance efforts to better equip both secular and religious professionals to provide evidence-based counsel to informal dementia caregivers.

Aspiring to Do All Things Through Him Who Strengthens? Quixotic Hope, Religiosity, and Mental Health in Emerging Adulthood

2021 ◽  
pp. 215686932110085
Author(s):  
Laura Upenieks
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Educational Expectations ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Religious Attendance ◽  
National Study ◽  
Health Consequences

Beliefs about the probability of educational success tend to be very optimistic in the United States. However, scholars are beginning to uncover mental health consequences associated with quixotic hope—the unrealistic outstripping of expectation by aspiration. Using longitudinal data from Waves 1 and 3 of the National Study of Youth and Religion, this study asks, (1) does religiosity promote or diminish the likelihood of quixotic hope? and (2) does religious attendance and closeness to God mitigate long-term mental health consequences of quixotic hope? Results show that weekly religious attendance had a modest negative relationship with the likelihood of experiencing quixotic hope, while increasing religious attendance over time attenuated the negative mental health consequences of quixotic hope on increases in depression. Closeness to God neither predicted quixotic hope nor played a moderating role for depression. As educational expectations rise, regular religious practice may help protect the emotional well-being of youth.

scholarly journals Informal Caregivers’ Well-Being at the Transition to Caregiving

2020 ◽  
pp. 003435522096218
Author(s):  
Natalie A. Williams ◽  
Holly Hatton-Bowers ◽  
Kara L. Kohel ◽  
Shruti Pillai ◽  
Judith M. Burnfield
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Readiness To Change ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Care Recipient ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Health Habits ◽  
Rehabilitation Hospital

The aim of this study was to describe the psychological and physical health needs of informal caregivers in a rehabilitation hospital and explore differences related to informal caregiver and care recipient characteristics. Readiness to engage in health promotion and perspectives on mindfulness meditation were assessed. Informal caregivers ( N = 33) to patients receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment completed the Multidimensional Health Profile screening tools. Readiness to change was assessed using the readiness ruler approach. Almost half of participants (45.5%) had a chronic illness and 18.2% reported that it interferes with daily functioning. Low Positive Health Habits were reported by 43% of participants, and Negative Health Habits were reported by 25%. A subgroup (15%–20%) reported both physical and mental health concerns. A majority of participants indicated it was both very important for them to improve their physical and mental health and felt very confident they could do so. Receptivity to mindfulness meditation was high, with 72.7% reporting an interest. Comprehensive screening and counseling interventions to address the physical and mental health of informal caregivers in physical rehabilitation hospital settings are needed, and information gained from screening could be addressed in interventions delivered by systems-oriented rehabilitation counselors. A mindfulness meditation intervention may be a useful strategy for promoting well-being in this population.

Initial results from the child an adolescent component of the national study of mental health and well-being

2000 ◽  
Vol 34 (s1) ◽  
pp. A59-A60
Author(s):  
M G Sawyer ◽  
B W Graetz ◽  
L Whaites ◽  
F Arney ◽  
P Baghurst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
National Study ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Initial Results

Thinking Outside the Office

2012 ◽  
pp. 59-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth A. Rubin ◽  
April J. Spivack
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Process Theory ◽  
National Study ◽  
Labor Process Theory ◽  
Creative Workers ◽  
Workplace Factors ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Positive Work

This chapter draws on labor process theory and builds on a previous paper by Spivack and Rubin (2011) that explored workplace factors that might diminish the autonomy of creative knowledge workers. Using data from the National Study of the Changing Workforce, this chapter tests hypotheses linking creative workers’ ability to work virtually, control their task and temporal autonomy to their well-being, job satisfaction, and commitment. The authors find that creative workers that have spatial autonomy have more positive work attitudes and better mental health. Further, they show that along with task and temporal autonomy, the conditions of the new workplace make spatial autonomy an important consideration. These findings contribute both to literature about the changing workplace and to practitioners concerned with maximizing the well-being of creative knowledge workers.

Blessing or Burden: Transitions Into Eldercare and Caregiver Mental Health

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2110428
Author(s):  
Jeremy Reynolds ◽  
Katie James
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Care Recipient ◽  
Women Caregivers ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
The Social ◽  
Caregiver Mental Health ◽  
Labor Dynamics

Caring for one’s parents can be good or bad for mental health. Guided by theories suggesting that caregiving work brings both demands and benefits, we examine if mental health outcomes depend on variations in caregiving arrangements. Using waves 5–17 from the Household Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia Survey (16,802 respondents; 115,176 person-years), we divide men and women caregivers into four groups based on their responsibility (main vs. secondary caregiver) and the location of the care recipient (inside or outside the caregiver’s household). We also examine how caregivers’ experiences are moderated by the social support they have. On average, caregivers experience no change in mental health. However, women with low social support who become main caregivers for resident parents experience declines in mental health. Men with low social support who become main caregivers for non-resident parents experience improved mental health. These results suggest that caregiver outcomes reflect different caregiving arrangements.

scholarly journals Mental health interventions for adolescents living with HIV or affected by HIV in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review

BJPsych Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arvin Bhana ◽  
Melanie Amna Abas ◽  
Jane Kelly ◽  
Myrna van Pinxteren ◽  
Lynette Alice Mudekunye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
English Language ◽  
Psychosocial Interventions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Caregiver Mental Health ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Background Mental health difficulties and mental disorders are common in adolescents living with HIV or who are affected by HIV because of living in HIV-affected households in low- and middle-income (LMICs) countries, but little is known about the interventions that target these individuals and whether they are effective. Aims This systematic review aims to address these gaps by examining what has worked and what has not worked to support the mental health of adolescents living with HIV or affected by HIV in low- and middle-income contexts (PROSPERO Number: CRD42018103269). Method A systematic literature review of online databases from the year 2000 to 2018, using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, included English-language publications of quantitative evaluations of psychosocial interventions aiming to improve mental health among adolescents living with HIV and adolescents from HIV-affected households (aged 10–24 years) in LMICs. Results Out of 2956 articles, 16 studies from 8 LMICs met the inclusion criteria. Thirteen studies focused on adolescents affected by HIV and only three studies on adolescents living with HIV. Only five studies included were from Sub-Saharan Africa. Interventions most often used a family-strengthening approach strengthening caregiver–adolescent relationships and communication and some problem-solving in groups or individually. Five studies reported statistically significant changes in adolescent and caregiver mental health or mental well-being, five among adolescents only and two among caregivers only. Conclusions Research on what works to improve mental health in adolescents living with HIV in LMIC is in its nascent stages. Family-based interventions and economic strengthening show promise.

Helping caregivers of persons with dementia: which interventions work and how large are their effects?

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 577-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Pinquart ◽  
Silvia Sörensen
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Recipient ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Dementia Caregivers ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Multicomponent Interventions

Background: In recent years, many different forms of interventions for caregivers of people with dementia have been developed. However, their results have been, in part, inconclusive.Methods: Meta-analysis was used to integrate the results of 127 intervention studies with dementia caregivers published or presented between 1982 and 2005.Results: Interventions had, on average, significant but small effects on burden, depression, subjective well-being, ability/knowledge and symptoms of care recipient. Only multicomponent interventions reduced the risk for institu-tionalization. Psychoeducational interventions that require active participation of caregivers had the broadest effects. Effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy, support, counseling, daycare, training of care recipient, and multicomponent interventions were domain specific. The effect sizes varied by study chara-cteristics, such as caregiver gender and year of publication.Conclusions: Because most interventions have domain-specific outcomes, clinicians must tailor interventions according to the specific needs of the individual caregivers. Although more recent interventions showed stronger effects, there is room for further improvements in interventions.

scholarly journals Surviving and Thriving: Qualitative Results from a Multi-Year, Multidimensional Intervention to Promote Well-Being among Caregivers of Adults with Dementia

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4755
Author(s):  
Meara H. Faw ◽  
India Luxton ◽  
Jennifer E. Cross ◽  
Deana Davalos
Keyword(s):  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Care Recipient ◽  
Dementia Caregivers ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Personal Dignity ◽  
Engagement Interventions ◽  
Phenomenological Perspective ◽  
Arts Engagement

(1) Introduction: Caring for an adult with dementia is both challenging and rewarding. Research indicates that community-based, social support, and/or arts engagement interventions can play a key role in ameliorating the negative outcomes associated with caregiving while enhancing its more positive attributes. This study explores the psychosocial outcomes experienced by dementia caregivers who participated in a multi-year, multidimensional intervention aimed at promoting caregiver and care recipient well-being. This intervention included bringing caregivers and people with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias (ADRD) to local symphony performances, hosting a social reception prior to the performance, and assessing the outcomes of participation for both caregiver and the care recipient. (2) Materials, Methods, and Analysis: Qualitative data from participant phone interviews (n = 55) as well as focus groups are analyzed using thematic analysis from a phenomenological perspective. (3) Results: Across three years of participation, caregivers reported three main program benefits: relationship building (both with other participants as well as within the broader community); restored humanity (experiencing a greater sense of personal dignity and momentary return to normalcy), and positivity (experiencing positive emotions during the program). (4) Discussion: These findings point to the value of creating caregiver programming that brings together multiple dimensions of successful interventions in order to enhance caregiver experiences and positive intervention outcomes.

scholarly journals Employment Uncertainty and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic Initial Social Distancing Implementation: a Cross-national Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Ruffolo ◽  
Daicia Price ◽  
Mariyana Schoultz ◽  
Janni Leung ◽  
Tore Bonsaksen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
National Study ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Health Distress ◽  
Emotional Loneliness ◽  
Employment Uncertainty ◽  
National Comparison ◽  
Cross National

Abstract Background Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in changes in the work environment and employment uncertainty. This paper reports on a cross-national comparison of four countries (Norway, UK, USA and Australia) and examines the differences in mental health between those individuals employed and those not employed during the social distancing implementation. Methods Participants (N = 3,810) were recruited through social media in April/May 2020 and were invited to complete a self-administered electronic survey over a 3-week period. Differences between those employed and those not employed with regard to their sociodemographic characteristics and mental health were investigated with chi-square tests, independent t tests, and one-way analysis of variances (ANOVAs). Results Compared with their counterparts, participants who were employed reported lower levels of mental health distress (p < 0.001), higher levels of psychosocial well-being (p < 0.001), better overall quality of life (p < 0.001), and lower levels of overall loneliness, social loneliness, and emotional loneliness (p < 0.001). Small to medium but consistent differences (Cohen’s d = 0.23–0.67) in mental health favor those with employment or those who were retired. Conclusion Further study is needed to assess mental health over time as the COVID-19 pandemic and employment uncertainty continues.

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