scholarly journals Family Caregiving or Caregiving Alone: Who Helps the Helper?

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. 27-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanie Sims-Gould ◽  
Anne Martin-Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Family Caregiving ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Older Person ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Provision Of Care ◽  
The Relationship

ABSTRACTThis study advances the understanding of family caregiving by examining the relationship between adult children caregivers and their helpers. Specifically, it focuses on examining “who helps whom” and extends analyses beyond the dyadic focus of caregiving in later life. The focus on helping and caregiving addresses the variety of contributions and responsibilities involving not only the caregiver who was the target respondent in this research, but also others identified as helpers in the provision of care.The data for this study are derived from the Work and Eldercare Research group of CARNET: The Canadian Aging Research Network. Secondary analysis of CARNET data focuses on data collected from 250 individuals with significant caregiving responsibilities for at least one older person. Findings extend Kahn & Antonucci's convoys of social support model (1981) and Cantor's model of social care (1991) by disentangling some of the dimensions of helping and caregiving, such as the distinction between direct and assistive help.

The Relationship Between Social Support and Morale: Comparisons of the Widowed and Never Married in Later Life

1991 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Martin Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Never Married ◽  
The Relationship

Through an analysis of data from 152 widowed and 62 never-married elderly residents of southern Ontario, this paper examines the relationship between social support and well-being, measured in terms of morale. The data indicate that while perceived social support is related to morale, particularly among the widowed, measures of available support are not directly associated with well-being among the widowed and never-married elderly. Indeed, reliance upon others for support is, in some circumstances, associated with decreased well-being among the elderly.

scholarly journals Time to move? Factors associated with burden of care among informal caregivers of cognitively impaired older people facing housing decisions: secondary analysis of a cluster randomized trial

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandrine Boucher ◽  
Julie Haesebaert ◽  
Adriana Freitas ◽  
Rhéda Adekpedjou ◽  
Marjolaine Landry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Cluster Randomized Trial ◽  
Cognitively Impaired ◽  
Burden Of Care ◽  
Older Person ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Support Resources ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
Social Support Resources

Abstract Background Making health-related decisions about loved ones with cognitive impairment may contribute to caregiver burden of care. We sought to explore factors associated with burden of care among informal caregivers who had made housing decisions on behalf of a cognitively impaired older person. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis within a cluster randomized trial (cRT) conducted in 16 publicly-funded home care service points across the Province of Quebec. The cRT assessed the impact of training home care teams in interprofessional shared decision making (IP-SDM). We assessed burden of care with the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) scale. We adapted Pallett’s framework to inform our data analysis. This framework posits that factors influencing burden of care among caregivers fall within four domains: (a) characteristics of the caregiver, (b) characteristics of the cognitively impaired older person, (c) characteristics of the relationship between the caregiver and the cognitively impaired older person, and (d) the caregiver’s perception of their social support resources. We computed the ZBI score and performed multilevel linear regression modelling. Results Among 296 caregivers included in the dataset, the mean ZBI score was 29.8 (SD = 17.5) out of 88. The typical participant was 62.6 years old (SD = 11.7), female (74.7%), and caring for a mother or father (61.2%). Using multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with caregiver burden mapped onto: caregiver characteristics (caregivers with higher burden were female, experienced higher decision regret and decisional conflict, preferred that their loved one move into the caregiver’s home, into a private nursing home or a mixed private-public nursing home, and had made the decision more recently); relationship characteristics (spouses and children experienced higher burden); and caregiver’s perception of social support resources (caregivers who perceived that a joint decision making process had occurred had higher burden). Conclusion In line with the proposed framework used, we found that caregiver characteristics, relationship characteristics and caregiver’s perception of social support resources were associated with burden of care. Our results will help design interventions to prevent and/or reduce caregivers’ burden of care. Trial registration NCT02244359. Date of registration: September 18, 2014.

scholarly journals Racial Disparities in Cognitive Functioning: The Mediating Role of Social Resources

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 342-342
Author(s):  
Kazi Sabrina Haq ◽  
Margaret Penning
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Racial Minority ◽  
Social Resources ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Minority Status ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Despite frequent recognition of disparities in cognitive functioning between White and non-White older adults, the pathways or mechanisms through which race affects cognitive functioning have yet to be elucidated. The research questions addressed in this paper are: 1) Is there a relationship between racial minority status and cognitive functioning in middle and later life? 2) To what extent do social resources (i.e., social support, social networks, and social participation) mediate the relationship between racial minority status and cognitive functioning? 3) Finally, drawing on intersectionality theory, if social resources do mediate the relationship between racial minority status and cognitive functioning, to what extent is this mediation effect moderated by the interaction of gender and Socioeconomic Status (SES)? Using cross-sectional data drawn from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) with a sample of over 50,000 Canadians (2010-15) aged 45 to 85 years, multivariate regression analyses (OLS, logistic, multinomial logistic) assess the mediating effect of social resources on the relationship between racial minority status and cognitive functioning. Controlling for age, gender and other relevant determinants, preliminary results reveal that racial disparities in cognitive functioning (i.e., lower cognitive test scores) exist in Canada and that this relationship is partially mediated by some indicators of social resources (e.g., functional social support, emotional social support). Our findings suggest the need for interventions targeted at increasing social resources for racial minority groups to cope with the risk of developing cognitive impairment in later life.

scholarly journals Do Social Support and Strain Mediate the Relationship Between Childhood Exposures and Frailty in Later Life?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 497-497
Author(s):  
Monica Williams-Farrelly ◽  
Kenneth Ferraro
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Childhood Health ◽  
Established Relationship ◽  
Pathway Models ◽  
Adult Morbidity ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Previous studies have identified the early origins of physical frailty, notably poor childhood health and socioeconomic status, but relatively few studies examine whether social support in later life mitigates the influence of early noxious exposures on frailty. Given the established relationship between health and social relationships in older adults, this research uses data from the Health and Retirement study (2004-2016) to examine whether social support and strain mediate the effect of childhood exposures on frailty in later life. A series of linear regression and pathway models were estimated to test whether childhood exposures, including socioeconomic status, infectious and chronic diseases, impairments, and risky adolescent parental behaviors, were associated with phenotypic frailty (Fried et al. 2001). After adjusting for demographic and adult factors, accumulated childhood misfortune was directly (b=0.015, p<.01) and indirectly (b=0.007, p<.001) associated with more frailty. Average social support, but not strain, from one’s spouse, children, family and friends significantly mediated the relationship between accumulated misfortune and frailty (b= -.002, p<.01). Path analysis revealed that social support reduces later life frailty directly (b=-0.106 ,p<.001) and indirectly through a reduction in adult morbidity (b=-0.031, p<.001). However, counterintuitively we found that accumulated misfortune was associated with more social support. Supplemental analyses reveal that one or more infectious diseases in childhood were responsible for the positive relationship (b= 0.393, p<.001). These results have implications for how we may reduce the burden of frailty on those who have experienced misfortune early in life.

scholarly journals LONELINESS FOLLOWING WIDOWHOOD: THE ROLE OF THE MILITARY AND SOCIAL SUPPORT

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S565-S566
Author(s):  
Brittany M King ◽  
Dawn Carr ◽  
Miles G Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Supports ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Military Spouses ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Veteran Status ◽  
The Military ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Social support provides important benefits following widowhood. One context promoting social support throughout life may be the military, where benefits extend to both service members and their spouses. A substantial proportion of older men served in the military, so many widowed women today were married to veterans. We tested two hypotheses: 1) surviving military spouses will experience lower persistent loneliness following widowhood compared to their nonmilitary counterparts, and 2) this benefit is explained by increased emotional and structural social support. Our study uses the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine changes in loneliness following widowhood among spouses of veterans and nonveterans. We used OLS regression and mediation tests to address our hypotheses. Overall, results supported our hypotheses. Widows of veterans reported lower levels of loneliness following widowhood compared to nonveteran widows (=-0.122; p<0.05). Emotional and structural social support mediated the relationship between veteran status of the deceased spouse and loneliness. Specifically, the beneficial effect of veteran status was reduced by almost 50% and became nonsignificant. Our findings suggest the military may facilitate lifelong cultivation of social support that flows not only to veterans but also to their families. These findings are suggest that the military may offer important opportunities to cultivate emotional and structural social supports that enhance the ability of veteran wives to more readily adjust to widowhood. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of having social support in later life when faced with adversity, as it seems to ameliorate some of the negative effects.

Coping Resources, Loneliness, and Depressive Symptoms of Older Women With Chronic Illness

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Beckette Warner ◽  
Amy Restorick Roberts ◽  
Alexandra Bohne Jeanblanc ◽  
Kathryn Betts Adams
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Coping Resources ◽  
And Coping ◽  
The Relationship

Chronic illness with its accompanying physical stressors poses a risk factor for loneliness and depression in later life. Testing a model of stress and coping, we examined the effects of three types of coping resources (religious coping; Selection, Optimization, and Compensation [SOC] adaptive strategies; and perceived social support) on the deleterious effects of chronic illness among older women. Community-dwelling older women ( N = 138) with at least one chronic illness ( M = 3.9, SD = 2.1) completed mailed questionnaires. Respondents reported multiple morbidities and 90% reported interference with daily life. Social support was associated with less loneliness and depression and mediated the relationship between physical health and loneliness. Our study demonstrates two distinct pathways to depressive symptoms: one through physical symptoms, pain, and disability, and another through the experience of loneliness. Findings support intervention approaches that address disability-related issues and loneliness, and assist older women with chronic illness in identifying and marshaling social support.

Walking as a Mediator of the Relationship of Social Support With Vitality and Psychological Distress in Older Adults

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 430-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Carrapatoso ◽  
Greet Cardon ◽  
Delfien Van Dyck ◽  
Joana Carvalho ◽  
Freja Gheysen
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Group Activities ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Short Form Health

This study examined the mediating effect of walking on the relationship of social support with vitality and psychological distress. Data from a sample of 2,859 older adults were used. The older adults completed the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey vitality scale, the Global Health Questionnaire, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and a social support attributes questionnaire. All social support variables were positively associated with vitality and negatively associated with psychological distress. Walking mediated the associations of appreciation for (3%) and frequency of (8%) social contacts, participation in group activities (19%), closeness from family and friends (8%), and concern from people around (6%) with vitality. Walking also mediated 33% of the association between participation in group activities and psychological distress. The main findings of this study suggest that participation in group activities, as part of social support, in later life is beneficial to improve older adults’ vitality and reduces psychological distress, with walking being a strong mediator of these relationships.

scholarly journals The determinants of receiving social care in later life in England

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 321-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. VLACHANTONI ◽  
R. J. SHAW ◽  
M. EVANDROU ◽  
J. FALKINGHAM
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Activities Of Daily Living ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Informal Support ◽  
Care Provision ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Different Sources

ABSTRACTDemographic change and policy changes in social care provision can affect the type of social care support received by older people, whether through informal, formal state or formal paid-for sources. This paper analyses the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing data (wave 4) in order to examine the relationship between demographic and socio-economic characteristics, and the receipt of support from different sources by older people who report difficulty with daily activities. The research outlines three key results with implications for the future organisation of social care for older people. Firstly, the number of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) an older person reports having difficulty with, followed by the number of activities of daily living (ADLs) are the strongest determinants of receiving support from any source. Secondly, there are significant gender differences in the factors associated with receiving support from different sources; for example, physical health is a strong determinant of informal support receipt by men, while mental health status is a strong determinant of informal support receipt by women. Finally, the research shows that different kinds of impediments in everyday life are associated with receiving support from different sources. This ‘link’ between particular types of difficulties and support receipt from particular sources raises questions about the way social care provision can or should be organised in the future.

scholarly journals The relationship of personal budgets with independence, participation and quality of life; a secondary analysis of survey data using propensity score matching

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Maria Marangos ◽  
Jurjen Iedema ◽  
Mirjam de Klerk ◽  
Isolde Woittiez ◽  
Peter P. Groenewegen
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Propensity Score ◽  
Propensity Score Matching ◽  
Propensity Scores ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objectives Personal budgets for social and health care have been introduced in many European countries over recent decades. The assumption is that people with a personal budget are able to purchase care that matches their needs more closely and therefore experience greater independence and improved well-being. The question is whether this assumption is true. Little research has been carried out on this and the research that has been carried out is inconclusive and hampered by methodological limitations. Methods We performed a secondary analysis of data collected in a survey among persons who had submitted an application for social support. Propensity score matching was used to investigate whether people with a personal budget experience better independence, participation in society and quality of life than comparable people using conventionally organised help. Results After matching, no significant effects of the personal budget were initially found. A sensitivity analysis that excluded the variable sense of mastery from the calculation of the propensity scores, showed a significantly greater independence for those using a personal budget. Conclusion There may be several reasons for this lack of effect. First, perhaps there are no effects. It is also possible that effects can only be found in specific situations and/or specific groups.

Does Ego-Resilience Impact Friendship Outcomes?

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth B. Lozano ◽  
Mahzad Hojjat ◽  
Judith Sims-Knight
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Ego Resilience ◽  
Maintenance Behaviors ◽  
Received Social Support ◽  
Trait Resilience ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. The present study examined the relationship between resilience and positive outcomes in friendships of young adults. SEM and bootstrapping analyses were performed to test whether positive emotions mediate the relationship between ego-resilience and enhanced friendship outcomes. Findings revealed indirect effects for friendship closeness, maintenance behaviors, and received social support. Our findings demonstrate the importance of positive emotions and its connection with trait resilience in the realm of friendships.

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