Enhancing resourceful skills in family caregivers

描述(由申请者提供)：家庭作为卫生资源的重要性预计在未来十年将显著增加。家庭照顾者肩负起在家中照顾亲人的责任，他们没有或只有很少的准备和对照看、他们的作用和亲人的健康问题的了解。阿尔茨海默病患者家庭照顾者的负面后果是有据可查的。非裔美国人在痴呆症护理方面得不到足够的服务，他们在疾病过程中接受的服务往往比白人晚，或者根本不接受服务。因此，需要进行干预，以减少对家庭照料者的负面影响，并加强他们在家中照顾亲人的准备。本研究的目的是评估加强足智多谋的技能，以减少情绪困扰和改善阿尔茨海默病患者家庭照顾者的角色结局的效果。增强足智多谋的技能是一种假定的干预措施，目的是改善家庭照顾者和接受者的结果。本研究的具体目的是确定：1)足智性技能干预对家庭照顾者足智性的影响；2)足智性对家庭照顾者的情绪结果(抑郁和焦虑)、角色结果(角色奖励、准备)和与照顾者的关系质量(互补性)的中介效应；3)提高足智性技能对家庭照顾者的情绪结果、角色结果和互动性的影响；4)提高足智性技能对家庭照顾者对照顾者记忆和行为问题的评估的影响。干预是一项为期2小时、6周的计划。所有结果测量将在干预后的基线、6周和3个月收集。研究人员假设，接受干预的家庭照顾者将更加足智多谋，更多的足智多谋与照顾者较低的抑郁和焦虑以及更多的奖励、准备和相互作用有关。考虑到家庭照顾者的负面后果，对改善健康结果产生影响的低成本干预措施意义重大。这项研究的独特贡献包括：a)随机对照设计，b)纳入非裔美国人照顾者；c)整合角色、自我调节理论以及压力和应对模式。该项目的长期目标是改善照顾者和受照者的生活质量。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The importance of families as a health resource is predicted to significantly increase in the next decade. Family caregivers take on the responsibilities of caring for their loved ones at home with no or minimal preparation and knowledge about caregiving, their role and the health problems of their loved ones. The negative consequences on family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease are well-documented. African Americans are underserved in dementia care, often receiving services later in the course of the disease than Whites, or not at all. Therefore, interventions are needed to decrease the negative consequences on family caregivers and increase their preparedness in caring for their loved ones at home. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of enhancing resourceful skill to decrease emotional distress and improve role outcomes in family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease. Enhancing resourceful skill is an intervention postulated to improve family caregiver and recipient outcomes. The specific aims of this study are to determine: 1) the effect of resourceful skill intervention on family caregivers' resourcefulness; 2) the mediating effects of resourcefulness on family caregivers' emotional outcomes (depression and anxiety), role outcomes (role reward, preparedness), and quality of relationship with care recipient (mutuality); 3) the effect of enhancing resourceful skills on family caregiver emotional outcomes, role outcomes, and mutuality; 4)the effect of enhancing resourceful skills on family caregivers appraisals of memory and behavior problems in care recipient. The intervention is a 2-hour, 6 week program. All outcome measures will be collected at baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months post intervention. The researchers hypothesize that family caregivers who receive the intervention will be more resourceful and that greater resourcefulness is linked to lower caregiver depression and anxiety, and more reward, preparedness, and mutuality. Given the negative consequences in family caregivers, a low cost intervention that has impact on improving health outcomes is significant. The unique contribution of this study include: a) a randomized control design, b) inclusion of African American caregivers; c) integration of role, self-regulatory theories and stress and coping model. The long-term objectives of this project are to improve caregivers' and care- recipients' quality of life.