Childhood Abuse and Caregiving for Perpetrating Parents: Impacts on Adult Child Well-Being

Combining the stress process model of caregiving and life course perspective, this study examined the long-term influences of childhood abuse on perpetrating parent-adult child relationships and adult child well-being in the context of caregiving. Using a sample of family caregivers from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (969 caregivers of mothers; 280 caregivers of fathers), we investigated whether contact frequency and emotional closeness with an abusive parent mediate the longitudinal effects of parental childhood abuse on adult child caregivers’ depressive symptoms and the moderating effects of self-acceptance and mastery on this mediational association. Key findings indicate that maternal childhood abuse may negatively affect emotional closeness between an adult child caregiver and perpetrating mother (b = -0.24, p < .001). This could lead the adult child caregiver to experience increased depressive symptoms (b = 0.02, p < .05). Although the mediation paths for the effect of maternal childhood abuse on depressive symptoms via emotional closeness with mothers did not differ by caregivers’ level of psychological resources, we found that psychological resources significantly moderated the association between maternal childhood abuse and depressive symptoms (b = -0.08, p < .05). Further research may explore this phenomenon in light of the heterogeneity of contemporary families. Practitioners working with adults with a history of parental childhood abuse who are caregiving for their perpetrator are encouraged to employ a trauma-informed approach to maximize the caregivers’ health and well-being.

Incorporating Family/Caregivers Into the Treatment Process From the First Meeting

Chapter 8 discusses the involvement of the family or caregivers into the interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) treatment process. Using illustrative case studies, it outlines the roles of the adult child caregiver (including the issues that adult caregivers may face, shared caregiving duties, inadequate care), spouses are caregivers, adult child/intact spouse collaboration, and nonfamily caregivers.

Burden and Depressive Symptoms Associated with Adult-Child Caregiving for Individuals with Heart Failure

Background. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate adult-child caregiver burden in heart failure (HF) patients. Secondary purpose of the study was to identify the possible influencing factors for caregiver burden and depressive symptoms in a young adult-child caregiver group.Methods. A total of 138 adult-child caregivers and 138 patients with HF participated in this study. Caregivers’ burden, depressive symptoms, and anxiety levels were assessed by using Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCBS), Beck Depression Inventory, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, respectively.Results. The mean ZCBS scores of the female caregivers were significantly higher than male caregivers. Approximately one-third of the adult-child caregivers had at least mild depressive symptoms. Caregivers with higher depressive symptoms had higher levels of caregiver burden. There were positive correlations between caregiving time, severity of depressive symptoms, and perceived caregiver burden. There was a negative correlation between education level of caregivers and perceived caregiver burden. Age, socioeconomic level, and marital status of patients were affecting factors for depressive symptoms in caregivers. Among caregiver characteristics, gender, marital status, and ZCBS scores seem to influence the depression in caregivers.Conclusions. The study findings suggest significant levels of burden and depressive symptoms even in adult-child caregivers of HF patients.