Abstract
One hundred interviews were conducted with primary caregivers, with 63 held in the home of the caregiver and the remainder conducted in a location convenient to the caregiver. Each participant completed the Caregiver Well-Being Scale (CWB), the Caregiving Uplifts Scale (CUPL), the Caregiving Satisfaction Scale (CSS), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Scores on the CWB, the CUPL, and the CSS were significantly higher for caregivers for elders with a primarily physical (e.g., heart disease) rather than a primarily cognitive impairment (e.g., dementia); indicating greater perceived caregiver benefits based on type of care recipient impairment. Little evidence of depressive symptoms was found in either group of caregivers. These findings advance previous research by indicating that caregivers experience satisfaction in their role and the potential for personal fulfillment even when faced with challenging circumstances. The validation of positive experiences and the impact that positive appraisals have on levels of depression are discussed.
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Christine received her BA and MA in Psychology from Roanoke College and Radford University, respectively, and her PhD in Family Studies from the University of Delaware. Christine is active with the Alzheimer’s Association and is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Gerontological Society of America.
Michael Ferrari, Ph.D., received his BA in psychology from SUNY at Stony Brook. He earned his MS and PhD degrees in psychology from Rutgers University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Delaware in the Departments of Individual and Family Studies and Psychology. Other areas of recent research have included the pharmacotherapy of Alzheimer’s disease and the effects of Stroke on life adaptation.
He received his BA in psychology with high honors from the University of Delaware, and his MA and PhD degrees in psychology from the University of Notre Dame. John is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Gerontological Society of America, and a Charter Fellow of the American Psychological Society. He is author or coauthor of 10 books and nearly 70 articles and chapters on topics in aging and teaching.
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Jensen, C.J., Ferrari, M. & Cavanaugh, J.C. Building on the benefits: Assessing satisfaction and well-being in elder care. Ageing Int. 29, 88–110 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-004-1011-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-004-1011-6