Increasing family members' appreciation of family caregiving stress.
Participants read a message discussing the duties of a typical family caregiver (for example, a woman taking care of her elderly mother) and the associated psychological, physical, social, and financial stresses. The message was accompanied by an appeal that was either a control or was altruistic (other-oriented: focusing on the mother/caregiver's well-being) or egoistic (self-oriented: focusing on the child of the caregiver's needs and feelings). Participants who received an altruistic appeal were more appreciative of caregiving stresses than were those given an egoistic or a control appeal. Increasing family members' awareness of the stress involved in family caregiving is a first step in encouraging them to personally intervene on behalf of the caregiver.
Gopalan
Neena
N
Department of Psychology, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506, USA.
Brannon
Laura A
LA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000533:Altruism; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D004645:Empathy; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012938:Social Perception; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires