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Study Examines Effects of Caregiving |
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From University of Southern California: A new study from the USC Davis School of Gerontology found that caregivers of different ethnicities showed few negative mental or physical health effects as a result of tending to a family member with dementia. The findings, which appeared in the September 2007 journal Aging & Mental Health, analyzed mental health and physical health differences between African-American and white caregivers. "Community samples show a wider range of responses to family caregiving than those surveyed from clinics and service agencies, where most show clinical levels of distress," said lead author Bob Knight, holder of the Merle H. Bensinger Professorship in Gerontology. Well-known ethnic differences in health rather than a specific response to caregiving explain the findings that both African-American caregivers and non-caregivers had worse physical health than white caregivers and non-caregivers. Analysis was based upon self-reported diseases of the circulatory system and measures of blood pressure. "If confirmed by future research, this finding is especially important since it points to a specific health risk for African-American caregivers and one not reflected in self-reported health," Knight said. Another NIA funded study led by Knight examined the role of familism, or prioritizing the good of the family over one's self, on stress and coping between white and African-American caregivers. Diastolic blood pressure indicators were affected differently through the use active coping styles, which are a healthy way of dealing with the problems that come with caregiving. "The results could serve as a basis for improving services for caregivers and to understanding when the services can cross cultural lines and when they need to be more culture specific," Knight said.
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