Emotional adaptation over time in care-givers for chronically ill elderly people.
Thirty-two care-givers of persons with Alzheimer's disease and 30 care-givers of persons with recurrent metastatic cancer were interviewed three times over a 2-year period. Both groups showed a decline in anxiety and negative mood while dementia care-givers also experienced a decline in anger. A multiple regression analysis revealed that care-giver neuroticism, self-reported low strength of religious beliefs and anger explained 54% of the variance of the negative affect balance score at 2-year follow-up while higher number of social contacts at index interview and strong self-reported religious faith explained 43% of the variance of positive affect balance.
Rabins
P V
PV
Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 21205.
Fitting
M D
MD
Eastham
J
J
Zabora
J
J
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D000786:Anger; D001007:Anxiety; D015142:Baltimore; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006167:Guilt; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012067:Religion; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires