Zarit S H, Stephens M A, Townsend A, Greene R
Gerontology Center, Pennsylvania State University, USA.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 1998 Sep;53(5):S267-77. doi: 10.1093/geronb/53b.5.s267.
This study reports the findings of an evaluation of the psychological benefits of use of adult day care by family caregivers assisting a relative with dementia.
The study used a quasi-experimental design in which caregivers in the treatment group used substantial amounts of services, whereas caregivers in a control group did not use day care at any point during the evaluation and only small amounts of other respite services. The evaluation was guided by the stress process model of caregiving which distinguishes between appraisals of primary stressors and well-being.
Results after 3 months of day care use showed that the treatment group had significantly lower scores than the control group on two of the three measures of primary appraisals (overload and strain) and two of the three measures of well-being (depression and anger). Findings at one year showed that the treatment group had significantly lower scores on overload and depression than the control group.
These results demonstrate that use of adult day care by caregivers of dementia patients results in lower levels of caregiving-related stress and better psychological well-being when compared to that of controls.
本研究报告了一项评估，该评估旨在探究协助患有痴呆症亲属的家庭照顾者使用成人日托服务所带来的心理益处。
本研究采用了准实验设计，其中治疗组的照顾者大量使用服务，而对照组的照顾者在评估期间未使用任何日托服务，仅少量使用其他喘息服务。该评估以照顾压力过程模型为指导，该模型区分了对主要压力源的评估和幸福感评估。
使用日托服务3个月后的结果显示，在主要评估的三项指标中的两项（负担过重和压力）以及幸福感的三项指标中的两项（抑郁和愤怒）上，治疗组的得分显著低于对照组。一年时的结果表明，治疗组在负担过重和抑郁方面的得分显著低于对照组。
这些结果表明，与对照组相比，痴呆症患者的照顾者使用成人日托服务可降低与照顾相关的压力水平，并改善心理健康状况。
