Young Adult Caregiver Strain and Benefits

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica King McLaughlin ◽  
Jennifer C Greenfield ◽  
Leslie Hasche ◽  
Carson De Fries

Abstract Young adult caregivers (YACs) of older adults are an often-overlooked subset of the caregiver population, though they make up more than a quarter of all caregivers. Because of their stage in life and their economic and work status, YACs (ages 21 to 40) are likely to face different caregiving challenges than other age cohorts of caregivers. Using the life course perspective and role conflict theory as foundational frameworks, this article compares the resources and strains of YACs with those of their middle-age caregiver (MAC) (ages 41 to 60) and older adult caregiver (OAC) (ages 61 and older) counterparts. Authors used data from a cross-sectional pilot study of caregivers recruited across one western state through community agencies. Through multivariate regression analysis, findings indicated that YACs reported more financial strain than MACs and OACs, despite being more likely to be employed. In contrast, YACs reported greater positive feelings toward caregiving than both MACs and OACs. These findings remained while controlling for employment status, education, and hours per week spent caregiving. Although YACs may find great value in caregiving, they may also be in more financially precarious situations. The article concludes with recommendations for caregiver support programs to reach YACs in the workplace.

Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Laura R. Umphrey ◽  
John C. Sherblom ◽  
Paulina Swiatkowski

Abstract. Background: Cultivating positive feelings of self in relationships with others can affect perceptions of belongingness and burdensomeness. Aims: The present study examines the relationships of self-compassion, hope, and emotional control to thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and suicidal ideation. Method: Participants were 481 college students who completed scales measuring self-compassion, hope, emotional control, thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and suicidal ideation. Results: Correlation and parallel mediation analysis results show relationships between self-compassion, hope, and emotional control with perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and suicidal ideation. Limitations: The study is limited by its cross-sectional design, sample demographics, and inability to distinguish between individuals with suicidal ideation and those who attempt suicide. Conclusion: The results show that the relationships of self-compassion, hope, and emotional control to perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and suicidal ideation are worth further investigation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 589-589
Author(s):  
Laura Samuel ◽  
Laken Roberts ◽  
Danielle Boyce ◽  
Melissa Hladek ◽  
Sarah LaFave ◽  
...  

Abstract Lower income and financial strain (i.e. difficulty making ends meet) are associated with worse aging biomarkers, but evidence among nationally representative samples is limited. This cross-sectional study tested whether income to poverty ratio (analyzed separately for those <500% vs. ≥500% poverty threshold) and financial strain are associated with biomarkers of aging among NHATS participants aged ≥65 years (n=4,648), adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, gender, smoking, BMI, and diabetes diagnosis for hemoglobin A1c. Sampling weights were applied. Among those with incomes <500% poverty, higher income was associated with lower hemoglobin A1c (b= -0.0196, p=0.007), CMV (b= -0.0689, p<0.001) and CRP (b= -0.0428, p=0.012). Among those with incomes ≥500%, higher income was associated with lower IL-6 (b= -0.0001, p=0.023) and lower CMV (b= -0.0001, p<0.001). Financial strain was not associated with biomarkers. Income is more strongly associated with biomarkers among the lower income group, calling for special attention to this vulnerable population.


Author(s):  
Stefano Rizza ◽  
Alessio Luzi ◽  
Maria Mavilio ◽  
Marta Ballanti ◽  
Arianna Massimi ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective To detect premature gluco-metabolic defects among night shift workers with disturbances in circadian rhythms. Design and methods We performed a hypothesis-generating, cross-sectional analysis of anthropometric, metabolic, lipid, and inflammation parameters, comparing active (a-NSW, n = 111) and former (f-NSW, n = 98) rotating night shift workers with diurnal workers (controls, n = 69). All participants were hospital nurses. We also evaluated the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and assessed expression of transcription factors REV-ERBα and BMAL1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), as indicators of the molecular clock. Results Both a-NSW and f-NSW participants had significantly higher glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and white blood cell counts (WBC) (p < 0.001 for both), PSQI global score (p = 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure levels (p = 0.024) compared with controls. Expression of REV-ERBα/BMAL1 RNA in PBMC was significantly higher in a-NSW (p = 0.05) than in f-NSW or control participants. Multivariate regression analysis showed that working status and PSQI were independent determinants of higher HbA1c levels (p < 0.001). Conclusions We demonstrated that young, healthy night shift workers show subclinical abnormalities in HbA1c and changes in peripheral clock gene expression.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 843
Author(s):  
Christian Kromer ◽  
Phoebe Wellmann ◽  
Ralf Siemer ◽  
Selina Klein ◽  
Johannes Mohr ◽  
...  

The risk of developing severe complications from an influenza virus infection is increased in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis (PsO) and atopic dermatitis (AD). However, low influenza vaccination rates have been reported. The aim of this study was to determine vaccination rates in PsO compared to AD patients and explore patient perceptions of vaccination. A multicenter cross-sectional study was performed in 327 and 98 adult patients with PsO and AD, respectively. Data on vaccination, patient and disease characteristics, comorbidity, and patient perceptions was collected with a questionnaire. Medical records and vaccination certificates were reviewed. A total of 49.8% of PsO and 32.7% of AD patients were vaccinated at some point, while in season 2018/2019, 30.9% and 13.3% received an influenza vaccination, respectively. There were 96.6% and 77.6% of PsO and AD patients who had an indication for influenza vaccination due to age, immunosuppressive therapy, comorbidity, occupation, and/or pregnancy. Multivariate regression analysis revealed higher age (p < 0.001) and a history of bronchitis (p = 0.023) as significant predictors of influenza vaccination in PsO patients. Considering that most patients had an indication for influenza vaccination, the rate of vaccinated patients was inadequately low.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Werku Etafa ◽  
Gosa Gadisa ◽  
Shibiru Jabessa ◽  
Tagay Takele

Abstract Background Globally, Coronavirus disease-19 has created unprecedented challenges to public health. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of COVID-19 because of their profession. There are limited studies conducted in Ethiopia among HCWs regarding their compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures. Therefore, this study intended to assess HCWs’ compliance with measures to prevent COVID-19, and its potential determinants in public hospitals in Western Ethiopia. Methods A self-administered, multicenter hospital-based cross-sectional survey was proposed to 422 randomly selected HCWs working in seven public hospitals in Western Ethiopia identified as COVID-19 referral centers. Data were entered into Epi Data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 24. Binary logistic regression was used to identify potential determinants of outcome variables at p-value < 0.05. Results Out of 422 completed questionnaires, the overall HCWs’ compliance with COVID-19 prevention is 22% (n = 404). In multivariate regression analysis, factors such as spending most of caring time at bedside (AOR = 1.94, 95%CI, 1.06–3.55), receiving training on infection prevention/COVID-19 (AOR = 1.86, 95%CI, 1.04–3.33), reading materials on COVID-19 (AOR = 2.04, 95%CI, 1.14–3.63) and having support from hospital management (AOR = 2.09, 95%CI, 1.20–3.64) were found to be significantly associated with COVID-19 preventive measures. Furthermore, inadequate supplies of appropriate personal protective equipment (83.2%), insufficient supportive medications (78.5%), and lack of provision of adequate ventilation (77.7%) were the barriers to COVID-19 prevention most frequently mentioned by participants. Conclusion Our findings highlight HCWs’ poor compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures. Providing information and refreshing training to improve the level of healthcare workers’ adherence with COVID-19 prevention is as imperative as increasing staff commitment to supply resources necessary to protect HCWs and to reduce healthcare-associated infections transmission of SARS-COV-2.


Author(s):  
Stefania Costi ◽  
Sara Paltrinieri ◽  
Barbara Bressi ◽  
Stefania Fugazzaro ◽  
Paolo Giorgi Rossi ◽  
...  

The restrictions enacted during lockdown to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) have led to changes in people’s lifestyle habits. In Italy, these restrictions have dramatically changed the way people work and spend their leisure time, also with repercussions on diet and physical activity. An anonymous survey was disseminated via websites and social media to a convenience sample of the Italian population during and immediately after the first lockdown (10 March–18 May 2020). Data collected on 1826 individuals show that lockdown might have worsened the quality of sleep of almost half of the participants in this cross-sectional study. This worsening was associated with a deterioration in crucial determinants of health, such as physical activity and diet (OR 1.68; 95% CI 1.18–2.40 and OR 4.19; 95% CI 2.51–6.96, respectively), with symptoms of psychological distress, such as tension (OR 3.88; 95% CI 2.74–5.52) and loneliness (OR 3.27; 95% CI 2.23–4.79), and with the presence of financial problems (some OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.27–2.72; many OR 7.27; 95% CI 3.59–14.73). The multivariate regression analysis models confirmed these associations. This impact on sleep quality was seen especially among females, those with low education level, and those who experienced financial problems.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-154
Author(s):  
. Ritesh ◽  
Harsh Mohinder Singh ◽  
Bikram Jit Singh

Introduction: To evaluate the awareness amongst the beneficiary about the costs of medical services in a hospital which provides all services at no cost and also to analyse whether education level of the beneficiary client, number of days stayed in hospital and their prior exposure of being treated on payment in other hospital has some bearing on cost estimation by the participants. Method: It was a cross sectional questionnaire based survey study. A total of 130 beneficiary clientele of a government hospital were interviewed. Two sample ‘t’ test and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis. Multivariate regression analysis was used to study effect of more than one independent variable on cost estimation. Scatter plot and box plots were used to study standard deviation. Results: It revealed poor awareness of people in cost estimation of medical expenses. A significant ‘p’ value of < 0.05 was observed with respect to length of stay (p = 0.003), treatment modality (p = 0.000) and multivariate variable (treatment technique along with exposure to treatment in paid hospital, p = 0.008). Conclusion: The beneficiary clientele in a hospital with free treatment generally not aware about the exuberant costs of treatment born by the state.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1439-1449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gillian L. Marshall ◽  
Tamara A. Baker ◽  
Chiho Song ◽  
David B. Miller

To better understand the health status of men in the United States, this study aimed to assess the association of hardship on the presence of and pain severity among men 50 years of age and older. Cross-sectional multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted using the 2010 wave of the Health and Retirement Study ( N = 3,174) to assess the association between four hardship indicators and the presence of pain and pain severity among this sample of older men. Results suggest that the association between the presence of pain and hardship was statistically significant across all four indicators: ongoing financial hardship (CI [1.05, 1.63], p < .05), difficulty paying bills (CI [1.42, 3.02], p < .001), food insecurity (CI [1.46, 3.15], p < .001), and not taking medication due to cost (CI [1.06, 1.66], p < .05), even after adjusting for all demographic factors. The associations between pain severity and ongoing financial strain (CI [1.23, 2.83], p < .01) and difficulty paying bills (CI [1.02, 3.18], p < .05) were statistically significant. Results also indicate that education was a buffer at all levels. In addition, the interactive effect of hardship and Medicare insurance coverage on pain severity was significant only for ongoing financial strain (CI [1.74, 14.33], p > .001) and difficulty paying bills (CI [1.26, 7.05], p < .05). The evidence is clear that each hardship indicators is associated with the presence of pain and across some of the indicators in pain severity among men aged 50 and older. In addition, these findings stress the importance that Medicare insurance plays in acting as a buffer to alleviate some of the hardships experienced by older men. These findings also highlight the association between the presence of pain and pain severity for the overall quality of life, health outcomes, and financial position of men in later life.


mSphere ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaorui Bian ◽  
Gregory B. Gloor ◽  
Aihua Gong ◽  
Changsheng Jia ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We report the large-scale use of compositional data analysis to establish a baseline microbiota composition in an extremely healthy cohort of the Chinese population. This baseline will serve for comparison for future cohorts with chronic or acute disease. In addition to the expected difference in the microbiota of children and adults, we found that the microbiota of the elderly in this population was similar in almost all respects to that of healthy people in the same population who are scores of years younger. We speculate that this similarity is a consequence of an active healthy lifestyle and diet, although cause and effect cannot be ascribed in this (or any other) cross-sectional design. One surprising result was that the gut microbiota of persons in their 20s was distinct from those of other age cohorts, and this result was replicated, suggesting that it is a reproducible finding and distinct from those of other populations. The microbiota of the aged is variously described as being more or less diverse than that of younger cohorts, but the comparison groups used and the definitions of the aged population differ between experiments. The differences are often described by null hypothesis statistical tests, which are notoriously irreproducible when dealing with large multivariate samples. We collected and examined the gut microbiota of a cross-sectional cohort of more than 1,000 very healthy Chinese individuals who spanned ages from 3 to over 100 years. The analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing results used a compositional data analysis paradigm coupled with measures of effect size, where ordination, differential abundance, and correlation can be explored and analyzed in a unified and reproducible framework. Our analysis showed several surprising results compared to other cohorts. First, the overall microbiota composition of the healthy aged group was similar to that of people decades younger. Second, the major differences between groups in the gut microbiota profiles were found before age 20. Third, the gut microbiota differed little between individuals from the ages of 30 to >100. Fourth, the gut microbiota of males appeared to be more variable than that of females. Taken together, the present findings suggest that the microbiota of the healthy aged in this cross-sectional study differ little from that of the healthy young in the same population, although the minor variations that do exist depend upon the comparison cohort. IMPORTANCE We report the large-scale use of compositional data analysis to establish a baseline microbiota composition in an extremely healthy cohort of the Chinese population. This baseline will serve for comparison for future cohorts with chronic or acute disease. In addition to the expected difference in the microbiota of children and adults, we found that the microbiota of the elderly in this population was similar in almost all respects to that of healthy people in the same population who are scores of years younger. We speculate that this similarity is a consequence of an active healthy lifestyle and diet, although cause and effect cannot be ascribed in this (or any other) cross-sectional design. One surprising result was that the gut microbiota of persons in their 20s was distinct from those of other age cohorts, and this result was replicated, suggesting that it is a reproducible finding and distinct from those of other populations.


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