Drentea Patricia, Goldner Melinda A
University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294-3350, USA.
Ethn Health. 2006 Feb;11(1):41-57. doi: 10.1080/13557850500286396.
This research examines the conditions that determine whether Blacks experience lower or higher levels of depression while caregiving outside of the home, as compared to Whites. Some prior literature has found that African Americans report a lesser caregiver burden despite an increased likelihood that they will acquire this role, and decreased resources to do so. Others have found that African Americans experience the same caregiver burden and distress as Whites. Given these mixed findings, we use the stress process model to examine whether African American caregivers experience lower or higher levels of depression when they provide care outside of the home.
A sample of care workers who provide care to others outside of the home was drawn from the 1992-4 National Survey of Families and Households. The final sample included 275 (11%) Blacks, and 2,218 (89%) Whites (not of Hispanic origin). The primary statistical method for predicting differences in caregivers' depressive symptomatology was OLS regression analysis with progressive adjustment.
We examined sociodemographics, family structure, resources, and stressors and found that African Americans, those with lower socioeconomic status, the unmarried, spending more weeks caregiving, having a physical impairment, and surprisingly receiving more help from parents are associated with higher depressive symptomatology. Stronger religious beliefs decreased depressive symptomatology for Blacks. The race effect was, in part, explained by family structure, amount of caregiving, and impairment of care worker.
Contrary to prior literature, we found that Blacks are more depressed than White caregivers in large part because of lower socioeconomic status and greater stressors, and higher levels of physical impairment. Yet, strength in religious belief has a stress-buffering effect for African Americans. We suggest that policies that attempt to eliminate racial disparities in socioeconomic status and health could benefit these caregivers.
本研究探讨与白人相比，黑人在家庭外提供照料时，出现抑郁水平较低或较高情况的决定因素。一些先前的文献发现，尽管非裔美国人承担照料角色的可能性增加且资源减少，但他们报告的照料负担较小。另一些文献则发现，非裔美国人与白人经历相同的照料负担和痛苦。鉴于这些相互矛盾的研究结果，我们使用压力过程模型来研究非裔美国照料者在家庭外提供照料时，其抑郁水平是较低还是较高。
从1992 - 1994年全国家庭与住户调查中抽取了一个为他人提供家庭外照料的护理人员样本。最终样本包括275名（11%）黑人，以及2218名（89%）白人（非西班牙裔）。预测照料者抑郁症状差异的主要统计方法是逐步调整的OLS回归分析。
我们研究了社会人口统计学、家庭结构、资源和压力源，发现非裔美国人、社会经济地位较低者、未婚者、照料周数较多者、身体有损伤者，以及令人惊讶的是从父母那里得到更多帮助的人，抑郁症状更严重。更强的宗教信仰会降低黑人的抑郁症状。种族效应部分可由家庭结构、照料量和护理人员的损伤来解释。
与先前的文献相反，我们发现黑人照料者比白人照料者更抑郁，这在很大程度上是由于社会经济地位较低、压力源更大以及身体损伤程度更高。然而，宗教信仰的力量对非裔美国人有压力缓冲作用。我们建议，旨在消除社会经济地位和健康方面种族差异的政策可能会使这些照料者受益。
