Family caregiving to elderly African Americans: caregiver types and structures.
OBJECTIVE
This study identified different types of caregivers who provide care to older African Americans, the types of caregiving structures created to provide care, and the factors that help predict caregiving structures.


METHODS
A community sample of 330 caregivers caring for 202 elderly African Americans was used. Multinomial logistic regression predicted what type of caregiving structure was created by families to provide care to older relatives.


RESULTS
Three types of caregivers were identified: 187 primary caregivers, who were connected to 79 secondary caregivers and 49 tertiary caregivers. Fifteen tertiary-only caregivers who were not connected to other caregivers were identified. Five caregiving structures were found: (i) primary, secondary, and tertiary, (ii) primary and secondary, (iii) primary and tertiary, (iv) primary only, and (v) tertiary-only. Characteristics of care recipients were predictive of caregiving structures.


CONCLUSIONS
Different types of caregivers with distinct roles and responsibilities provided care within defined caregiving structures to older African American family members. Caregiving structures may be individualistic (only one caregiver) or collectivist (two or more caregivers). Caregiving structure is predicted by the care recipients' conditions and situations, but not those of the primary caregiver.
Dilworth-Anderson
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Department of Human Development and Family Studies, PO Box 26170, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170, USA. p_dilwor@hamlet.uncg.edu
Williams
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Cooper
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D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina