Abstract
The spouse caregivers of 406 patients with Alzheimer's disease were randomly assigned to an enhanced counseling and support intervention or to a usual care control condition. Structured interviews were conducted to assess changes in social support and psychosocial outcomes for the 312 caregivers who provided care in the home for at least 1 year. The number of support persons, satisfaction with the support network, and support persons' assistance with caregiving all increased significantly as a function of the intervention. Structural equation models indicated increased satisfaction with the social support network mediated a significant proportion of the intervention's impact on caregiver depression. A portion of this mediated effect was further mediated by changes in caregiver stress appraisals. Implications for strengthening intervention programs for spouse caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease are discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 634-644 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Psychology and Aging |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2005 |
Keywords
- Caregiving
- Depression
- Intervention
- Mediation models
- Social support
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Aging
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
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