Caregiver role strain: the contribution of multiple roles and available resources in African-American women.
While the roles of spouse, parent, and employee are normative for middle-aged adults, strain associated with each role may increase when the role of caregiver is added. The objectives of the present study were to determine: (1). what is the relationship between the caregiver's other roles (marital, parental, employee), specific combinations of these roles, and role strain; and (2). what is the relationship between available resources (economic, social, and personal) and role strain? The study participants were 148 African-American females who provided care to elderly family members. A model using multiple linear regression was analyzed. Caregivers with higher depressive symptomatology were more strained. However, neither additional multiple roles, nor a combination of roles were significantly related to role strain. African-American caregivers experienced a wide range of caregiver role strain. It would be a disservice to African-American caregivers to operate under the assumption that they provide care with little emotional cost. Continued within group analyses are needed to understand differential outcomes of these caregivers.
Wallace Williams
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Center on Minority Aging, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Sharon_Williams@unc.edu
Dilworth-Anderson
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Goodwin
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D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D040841:Resource Allocation; D012380:Role; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology*; D016387:Women's Health