Stress, hope, and well-being of women caring for family members with Alzheimer's disease.

The article describes a study that tested a midrange model of caregiver stress mediation in women caring for a family member with Alzheimer's disease. The study was grounded in the nursing theory of modeling and role modeling and tested two hypotheses based on theoretically derived propositions. A convenience sample of 88 female caregivers participating in a larger study completed measures of perceived stress, hope, and well-being. Significant correlations among the three variables occurred in the expected directions. Hope was found to mediate the relationship between stress and well-being, providing tentative support for the theoretically proposed linkages.