Caregiving Dyads in Vulnerable Communities

描述(由申请人提供)R01将首次审查与弱势社区的老年护理接受者(CRS)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。随着老年人口的显著增加和非机构护理的趋势，美国人越来越面临为患有慢性病或残疾的老年人提供护理的挑战。这项研究将考察弱势社区中老年CRS和他们的CGs之间的耻辱和二元关系的影响，以及它们如何影响照顾双方的积极和消极的身心健康结果。此外，这项研究将检验CRS和CGS种族是否区分风险和保护因素，包括耻辱和二元关系变量，如何影响这些结果。面对面的访问将与300对年长的社区退休人员及其非正式社区干事进行。这项研究的主要实质性贡献如下：1)确定弱势社区中老年CRS及其CGs的背景特征以及与其身心健康结果相关的风险和保护因素；2)确定可作为老年CRS及其CGs的保护因素并影响其身心健康结果的二元过程和关系变量；3)评估非裔美国人和白人老年CRS和CGs在背景特征、风险和保护因素以及身心健康结果方面的异同；4)开发信息，直接有助于设计适当的社区干预措施，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：首次在R01中提出的研究对改善功能受损的美国老年人及其在种族多元化和脆弱社区的非正式照顾者的健康具有重要影响。通过确定与老年护理接受者(CRS)及其非正式照顾者(CGs)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社区干预措施，促进老年CRS及其CGs的健康，并支持脆弱和种族多元化社区内的非正式护理提供。

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.