School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, 211 S. Cooper Street, Arlington, TX 76091.
School of Government, Central University of Finance and Economics. 39 South College Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100081, China.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2021 May-Jun;94:104334. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2020.104334. Epub 2021 Jan 5.
Using the Pearlin stress process model, the present study aimed to test if there was an association between caregiving intensity and caregiver burden, to analyze what type of association existed, and to test if different indicators of social support moderated such association among caregivers of people with dementia. Data from the baseline assessment of the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health (REACH II) (N = 637) were used. Caregiver burden (12-item Zarit caregiver burden scale), caregiving intensity (caregiving hours), and social support (Lubben social network, received support, satisfaction with support, and negative interactions) were the main measurements. Separate multivariate regression models were conducted with Stata 16. The results showed that the relationship between caregiving hours and caregiver burden was a nonlinear inversed U shape after controlling all of the socio-demographic variables. Further analyses showed that when caregiving hours reached 14 hours per day, the levels of burden were the highest. In addition, received support, satisfaction with support, and social network significantly buffered the relationship between caregiving hours and caregiver burden when they were examined separately. However, only social network played a significant buffering role when examining the four social support indicators simultaneously. These findings suggest the need for programs and practices that emphasize the importance of identifying, gaining, and strengthening positive aspect of social support, especially in how to broaden a caregiver's social network while caring for a family member with dementia.
本研究采用 Pearlin 压力过程模型，旨在检验照顾强度与照顾者负担之间是否存在关联，分析存在何种关联，并检验不同社会支持指标是否调节痴呆症照顾者的这种关联。使用了增强阿尔茨海默病照顾者健康资源（REACH II）基线评估的数据（N=637）。照顾者负担（Zarit 照顾者负担量表的 12 项）、照顾强度（照顾时间）和社会支持（Lubben 社会网络、获得的支持、对支持的满意度和负面互动）是主要测量指标。使用 Stata 16 进行了单独的多变量回归模型。结果表明，在控制所有社会人口统计学变量后，照顾时间与照顾者负担之间的关系呈非线性倒 U 形。进一步的分析表明，当每天的照顾时间达到 14 小时时，负担水平最高。此外，当分别检查时，获得的支持、对支持的满意度和社会网络显著缓冲了照顾时间和照顾者负担之间的关系。然而，当同时检查四个社会支持指标时，只有社会网络起到了显著的缓冲作用。这些发现表明，需要制定和实施强调识别、获得和加强社会支持积极方面的计划和实践，特别是在如何在照顾痴呆症家庭成员的同时扩大照顾者的社会网络方面。
