NCJ Number
145836
Journal
Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect Volume: 4 Issue: 4 Dated: (1992) Pages: 59-70
Date Published
1992
Length
12 pages
Annotation
A sample of 70 in-home direct caregivers for elderly, mostly demented persons, who were not themselves receiving any concurrent psychological treatment, participated in a study to identify the emotional correlates of caregiving, in an effort to improve targeting of elder abuse prevention and intervention programs.
Abstract
The participants attended eight 2-hour sessions that focused on the development of caregiving skills. At the end of the program, some of the participants were administered the same tests that the entire group had taken prior to the training; instruments used included the Cost of Care Index, Brief Symptom Inventory, Anger Inventory, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The results showed that emotional distress, the burden of caregiving, and self-esteem were all associated in this study. The high level of caregiver distress and poor self- esteem could result in inadequate care, leading to deteriorating, highly conflicted relationships. Under these circumstances, the incidence of elder abuse is sure to increase. The authors suggest that multimodal programs addressing caregiver anger, emotional distress, and self- esteem might be most successful, even if reduction of burden may be an unrealistic goal. 1 table and 25 references