POSITIVE APPRAISALS OF CAREGIVING SUPPORT DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS' PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GOAL PURSUIT

Abstract

Abstract Middle-age daughters caring for parents with dementia have multiple roles and often neglect their own health. In addition to reporting negative appraisals of caregiving dementia caregivers also report positive appraisals, which may support their health behavior. In this study we examine how positive and negative caregiving appraisals interacted to predict physical activity goal pursuit among 27 daughters of parents with dementia who participated in the ACHIEVE Study, an NIH-funded 30-day study on caregiving (Noccasions=622). On days when caregivers had more positive appraisals than their own average, they had higher physical activity goal pursuit, even after controlling for that day’s negative appraisals (β=0.31, SE=0.09, p=0.001). Moreover, the association between positive appraisals and goal pursuit was not dependent on that day’s negative appraisals (p=0.42). Supporting adult-daughter caregivers to feel positively about their role as a caregiver on a day-to-day basis may support them to stay on track with their physical activity goals.