Caregiving Dyads in Vulnerable Communities

描述（由申请人提供）这是第一次R 01将检查与身体和精神健康结果相关的风险和保护因素，老年护理接受者（CR）和他们的非正式照顾者（CG）来自弱势社区。随着老年人口的显著增加和非机构护理的趋势，美国人越来越多地面临着为患有慢性疾病或残疾的老年人提供护理的挑战。本研究将探讨在弱势社区的老年人CR和他们的CG之间的耻辱和二元关系的影响，以及他们如何影响积极和消极的身心健康结果的护理给予二元体的成员。此外，本研究将探讨CR和CG的种族是否会区分风险和保护因素（包括耻辱和二元关系变量）如何影响此类结果。将与300对老年社区关系员及其非正式社区指导员进行面对面访谈。本研究的主要贡献在于：（1）识别弱势社区中老年社区居民及其社区团体身心健康的背景特征、风险因素和保护因素;（2）识别老年社区居民及其社区团体身心健康的保护因素和影响其身心健康的二元过程和关系变量; 3）评估非洲裔美国人和白色老年社区代表和社区团体之间的相似性和差异，因为它们与背景特征、风险和保护因素以及身心健康结果有关;以及4）开发信息，直接有助于设计适当的基于社区的干预措施，支持弱势和文化多样性社区内的非正式护理。公共卫生相关性：R 01首次提出的研究对改善功能受损的美国老年人及其非正式照顾者在种族多样性和弱势社区的健康具有重要意义。通过识别与老年护理接受者（CR）及其非正式照顾者（CG）的身心健康结果相关的风险和保护因素，这项拟议的研究将提供必要的信息，直接有助于设计适当的基于社区的干预措施，促进老年CR及其CG之间的健康，并支持弱势和种族多样性社区内的非正式护理。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) This first time R01 will examine risk and protective factors associated with physical and mental health outcomes among elder care recipients (CRs) and their informal caregivers (CGs) from vulnerable communities. With the significant increase in the older population and the trend toward noninstitutional care, Americans increasingly face the challenge of providing care to elders with chronic illness or disability. This study will examine the impact of stigma and dyadic relationships between elder CRs and their CGs in vulnerable communities, and how they influences positive and negative physical and mental health outcomes for both members of the care giving dyad. In addition, this research will examine whether the CRs and CGs ethnicity differentiates how risk and protective factors, including stigma and dyadic relationship variables, influence such outcomes. Face-to-face interviews will be conducted with 300 pairs of elder CRs and their informal CGs. The primary substantive contributions of the proposed research are as follows: 1) identify the background characteristics and risk and protective factors that are associated with physical and mental health outcomes among elder CRs and their CGs in vulnerable communities; 2) identify dyadic processes and relationship variables that may serve as protective factors for elder CRs and their CGs, and impact their physical and mental health outcomes; 3) assess similarities and differences among African American and White elder CRs and CGs as they relate to background characteristics, risk and protective factors, and physical and mental health outcomes; and, 4) develop information that will directly contribute to the design of appropriate community-based interventions supporting informal care giving within vulnerable and culturally diverse communities. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed research in this first time R01 has important implications for improving the health of functionally impaired older Americans and their informal caregivers in ethnically diverse and vulnerable communities. By identifying the risk and protective factors that are associated with physical and mental health outcomes among elder care recipients (CRs) and their informal caregivers (CGs), this proposed research will provide necessary information that will directly contribute to the design of appropriate community-based interventions promoting health among both elder CRs and their CGs, and supporting informal care giving within vulnerable and ethnically diverse communities.