Caregiver Social Support Research Articles

Direct and Indirect Effects of Maltreatment and Social Support on Children's Social Competence Across Reporters.

Children's social competence is a key characteristic of resilience, yet little research has assessed contributing factors to this construct. The objectives of this study were to examine direct and indirect effects of maltreatment on children's social competence, the promotive role of child and caregiver social support, and factors contributing to reports of child social competence across informants. Structural equation modeling evaluated the influence of CPS report history, child adjustment, and child and caregiver social support on child social competence in n = 783 caregiver-child dyads. CPS report history (age 0-8) was indirectly related to low social competence through child adjustment problems. Social support was a significant promotive factor of child social competence, with caregiver social supports predicting higher levels of parent-reported child social competence. Child social support predicted self-reported child social competence. Findings reinforce the assertion that both caregiver and child social support networks are critical to promoting child well-being after adversity.

The relationship between children's oral health-related behaviors and their caregiver's social support.

BackgroundSocial support might play a role in helping people adopt healthy behaviors and improve their health. Stronger social support from mothers has been found to be positively related to higher tooth brushing frequency in 1- to 3-year-old children. However, little is known regarding the relationship between the caregiver’s social support and the oral health-related behaviors of 5-year-old children in China. This study aimed to investigate this relationship.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 1332 5-year-old children and their caregivers in Guangzhou, southern China. Data were collected using questionnaires that were completed by the caregivers and the children’s caries status were examined. The caregivers’ social support was measured using the Social Support Rating Scale. The measurements of the children’s oral health-related behaviors included the frequencies of sugary snack intake and tooth brushing, utilization of dental services, and patterns of dental visits. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the relationships between the variables.ResultsNo association was found between the caregiver’s social support and the child’s oral health-related behaviors in a multiple logistic regression analysis. However, other factors, particularly the oral health-related behaviors of the caregiver, were found to be significantly linked to the child’s oral health-related behaviors.ConclusionsThe oral health-related behaviors of 5-year-old children in Guangzhou are unrelated to the caregiver’s social support but are related to other specific factors, particularly the caregiver’s oral health-related behaviors.

Burden, quality of life, and social support in caregivers of patients undergoing radiotherapy for head and neck cancer: A pilot study.

The purpose of this pilot study was to (1) obtain preliminary data on changes in burden and quality of life in head and neck cancer caregivers during and shortly following patient radiotherapy, (2) assess the relationship between perceived social support and burden as well as perceived social support and quality of life in caregivers during radiotherapy, and (3) identify preferences for sources of support among caregivers during radiotherapy. Caregivers completed burden and quality of life instruments at the start of patient radiotherapy (T1), 5 weeks into radiotherapy (T2), and 1 month post-radiotherapy (T3) and instruments for perceived social support and support preferences at T2 only. Caregivers showed a trend toward increased burden and worsened quality of life for the majority of subscales at T2 or T3 than at T1. Caregivers reported significantly lower esteem and significantly greater disruption at T2 than at T1 and significantly worse health at T3 than at T2. Higher perceived social support was typically associated with lower burden and higher quality of life at T2. Spouses/partners were the most commonly preferred source of support. These pilot findings suggest that caregivers experience psychosocial impairments during and shortly after patient radiotherapy, but more research using larger samples is warranted.

The role of caregiver social support, depressed mood, and perceived stress in changes in pediatric secondhand smoke exposure and asthma functional morbidity following an asthma exacerbation.

Caregiver depressed mood and stress are associated with increased child asthma functional morbidity (AFM) and secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe), whereas social support (SS) reduces risk. This study extends previous literature by examining (1) longitudinal patterns of pediatric AFM and SHSe and (2) how caregiver stress, depressed mood, and SS are related to child SHSe and AFM changes. Participants were 334 caregivers who smoked, had a child with asthma, and were enrolled in a smoking cessation induction/asthma intervention. SHSe and AFM were measured at baseline and 4, 6, and 12 months. All measures were caregiver self-report. We used an autoregressive latent trajectory model to examine the intercept, linear, and quadratic growth factors and autoregressive and cross-lagged effects of SHSe and AFM. After an asthma exacerbation, decreases in child AFM and SHSe were followed by respective increases over time. Child SHSe at 4 months and 6 months predicted subsequent child AFM. Autoregressive paths were significant for only AFM. Higher baseline caregiver depressed mood and stress predicted higher baseline child AFM but not other growth factors. Higher baseline caregiver self-esteem SS was associated with only lower baseline child AFM and fewer increases in AFM across time. Exploratory analyses indicated higher baseline caregiver depressed mood and stress were associated with less-favorable changes in child SHSe and AFM. Caregiver depressed mood, stress, and SS should be considered when addressing pediatric SHSe and AFM. Caregiver support may be needed to maintain intervention gains. (PsycINFO Database Record

Depression, distress, burden and social support in caregivers of active versus abstinent addicts

This study focuses on the relationships between clinical, demographic, and psychological variables, such as depression, distress, burden and social support in informal caregivers of addicts. The sample included 120 informal caregivers who answered the Beck Depression Inventory, Brief Symptom Inventory, Caregiver Reaction Assessment, and the Instrumental and Expressive Social Support Scale. Results pointed to significant associations between burden and patients’ number of detoxifications, patients’ arrest due to substance abuse, distress and social support. Differences in depression, distress and burden were found between caregivers of active versus abstinent addicts. Caregiver burden was predicted by the number of patients’ arrests and the number of patients’ detoxifications at home, as well as caregivers’ social support. According to the results, caregivers of addicts would benefit from interventions that increase social support, and decrease burden, depression and distress, particularly, those who care for non-abstinent family members.

Factors affecting multidimensional caregiver burden: Results from national surveys.

301 Background: Quality of care for individuals with cancer is affected by the burden on their caregivers. For high quality care, it is important to understand domains of caregiver burden and factors affecting this burden. Methods: Using data from two national surveys, the National Survey of Caregiving (NSOC) linked to the National Health and Aging Trends Survey (NHATS), we identified all participants in the NHATS diagnosed with cancer who had a caregiver participating in the NSOC. Twenty-two items in the NSOC related to caregiver health, mood and outlook were included in factor analysis to develop scales capturing domains of burden. Multivariable regression analyses examined whether activities performed by caregivers and supports for caregivers were associated with these burden scales. Results: Analysis of responses from 245 caregivers of cancer patients identified three scales: emotional burden; psychological burden; and relationship with the patient. Providing assistance managing medical care was associated with increased emotional and psychological burden, while assistance with non-medical issues was increased psychological burden and worsened relationships with patients. Caregiver provision of direct patient care activities was also associated with increased burden but improved relationships with patients. Use of support services showed mixed associations with burden. Conclusions: Using a nationally-representative sample of cancer patients and their caregivers and brief publicly-available survey questions, we present three scales addressing different aspects of caregiver burden that are responsive to caregiver activities and social supports. This may assist in developing and evaluating intervention to decrease caregiver burden and thereby improve quality of care for individuals with cancer.

Subjective burden, psychological distress, and perceived social support among caregivers of persons with schizophrenia

Background/Objectives: Caregivers of persons with schizophrenia experience more stress due to the nature of the symptoms as well as the prolonged duration of illness. The current study is an attempt to understand the subjective components of burden, distress, and social support in caregivers of patients with schizophrenia in Indian context and its linkage with their sociodemographic profile and patient's illness profile. Methodology: Thirty-two caregivers of patients with schizophrenia from a psychiatric inpatient facility of a multidisciplinary hospital were studied using descriptive research design. Results: The result shows that negative symptoms of patients, subdomains of burden (burden on well-being, marital burden, burden on relations, and burden due to perceived severity) were the predictors of subjective burden. Burden on well-being and respondent's age were predictors of psychological distress. Conclusion: Inclusive treatment services would enhance the quality of life of the caregivers and would help them in ensuring long-term care for the patients with schizophrenia.

Is Quality of Life Associated with Caregiver Burden and Social Support among Caregivers of Patients with Bipolar I Disorder?

Is Quality of Life Associated with Caregiver Burden and Social Support among Caregivers of Patients with Bipolar I Disorder?

The effectiveness of caregiver social support is associated with cancer survivors' memories of stem cell transplantation: A linguistic analysis of survivor narratives.

People who undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are highly dependent on their caregiver during their lengthy treatment and recovery. The effectiveness of their caregiver's social support can profoundly affect their day-to-day treatment experiences and, in turn, how they recall those experiences and are affected by them long after the treatment ends. Our participants were 182 men and women who had undergone a transplant within the previous 9 months to 3 years. They completed baseline measures (including a measure of caregiver social support effectiveness) and then completed three writing assignments describing their transplant experiences. Linguistic analyses were conducted to investigate their use of words indicating negative emotions, cognitive processing (insight and causation), and practical problems with money and insurance. Theory-based hypotheses predicted associations between specific functional types of caregiver support (emotional, informational, and instrumental) and these word categories. As hypothesized, the effectiveness of different functional types of support from a caregiver were uniquely associated with theoretically relevant categories of word use. Structural equation models indicated that more effective caregiver emotional support predicted lower use of negative emotion words; more effective caregiver informational support predicted lower use of causation words; and more effective caregiver instrumental support predicted lower use of words related to money and insurance. Our findings provide insights to guide research on the mechanisms through which caregiver support influences patient outcomes after stem cell transplantation. For instance, research suggests that these kinds of effects could have implications for survivors' current self-concept, psychosocial functioning, and meaning-making.

Association between social support and quality of life of relative caregivers of elderly dependents.

to ascertain the association between the social support and the quality of life of relative caregivers of elderly dependents at home. a cross-sectional study conducted with 58 relative caregivers of elderly dependents, registered in the Family Health Strategy. Data were collected from the Katz instrument, sociodemographic, Zarit Burden Interview, WHOQOL-bref, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. the majority of caregivers were women, who took care full-time and presented moderate to severe burden. Most caregivers are satisfied with their social relationships and the social support received. It is found that the burden and the time of care correlated with the social relationships domain, which is associated with social support, and consequently, reduced quality of life. social support for caregivers is important to prevent health implications, burden, biopsychosocial stress, and provide favorable conditions for quality of life, by allowing greater freedom to develop their daily activities.

Caregivers of patients with disorder of consciousness: burden, quality of life and social support.

To evaluate quality of life (QoL) and its predictors, psychological burden and level of perceived social support in caregivers of patients with disorder of consciousness. World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref (WHOQOL-BREF), State Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y (STAI-Y), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Prolonged Grief Disorder Questionnaire, Coping Orientations to Problem Experiences, State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2), and the Medical Outcome Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS) were administered. One-sample t-tests were performed to compare WHOQOL-BREF, STAI-Y and STAXI-2 mean scores to the respective normative sample (NS). Pearson correlation was calculated between time dedicated to patient's care, WHOQOL-BREF, BDI-II, STAI-Y and MOS-SSS scores. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to evaluate which variables have predictive power on QoL. A total of 129 caregivers, 68.2% female, mean age 52.8 years, were enrolled. Three WHOQOL-BREF domains were significantly lower. Anxiety and anger were in line with NS. 28.7% of the sample reported high level of depressive symptoms; 20.9% satisfied the prolonged grief disorder criteria. No differences emerged between caregivers and chronic ill patients' scores at MOS-SSS. STAI-Y, BDI-II and WHOQOL-BREF scores positively correlated. MOS-SSS domains inversely correlate with BDI-II scores. BDI-II results the most relevant predictor of QoL. Study results provided innovative information about caregivers' poor QoL, difficulties in social support and high levels of burden. Time dedicated to care is not strictly related to burden, while social support perceived is highly associated with caregivers' depressive symptoms that are strong predictor of poor QoL. Supportive intervention able to integrate psychological, social and environmental levels is needed.

Direct and Indirect Effects of Caregiver Social Support on Adolescent Psychological Outcomes in Two South African AIDS-Affected Communities.

Caregiver social support has been shown to be protective for caregiver mental health, parenting and child psychosocial outcomes. This is the first known analysis to quantitatively investigate the relationship between caregiver social support and adolescent psychosocial outcomes in HIV-endemic, resource-scarce Southern African communities. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted over 2009-2010 with 2,477 South African adolescents aged 10-17 and their adult caregivers (18 years or older) in one urban and one rural community in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province. Adolescent adjustment was assessed using adult caregiver reports of the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire (SDQ), which measures peer problems, hyperactivity, conduct problems, emotional symptoms and child prosocial behavior. Hierarchical linear regressions and multiple mediation analyses, using bootstrapping procedures, were conducted to assess for: (a) direct effects of more caregiver social support on better adolescent psychosocial wellbeing; and (b) indirect effects mediated by better parenting and caregiver mental health. Direct associations (p < .001), and indirect associations mediated through better parenting, were found for all adolescent outcomes. Findings reinforce the importance of social support components within parenting interventions but also point to scope for positive intervention on adolescent psychosocial wellbeing through the broader family social network.

Apoio social e reganho de peso pós-cirurgia bariátrica: estudo de caso sobre intervenção com cuidador

The case study aimed to: implement a behavioral intervention for adequacy of social support in caregivers of patients with weight regain after bariatric surgery; verify the effects of the intervention by assessing the patient’s perception of the availability and satisfaction with social support and body weight before (baseline), immediately after (moment 2) and one month after the intervention (moment 3 [M3]). The patient was a 20-year-old woman, having a 30% weight regain in relation to the minimum weight achieved after surgery. The caregiver was her mother a 43 year old with whom he resided. Semi structured interviews for the caregiver and patient and a validated scale to access social support were

Association of caregiver social support with the safety, permanency, and well-being of children in child welfare

Focusing on families having contact with the child welfare system, this study aims to assess whether caregiver social support is associated with the three primary child welfare goals: child safety, permanency and well-being. The study uses a national probability sample of children having contact with the child welfare system and a prospective study design. It includes both caregiver and caseworker indicators of social support. Consistent with previous research, study results suggest that different indicators of caregiver social support are associated with different child welfare outcomes. Notably, when caregivers were more satisfied with their social support and caseworkers rated caregiver social support as adequate, children were less likely to be placed out of the home. Also, caregivers who had more people to call on for support rated their children as having less severe behavior problems. Implications for practice are addressed.

Abstract 12062: Patient and Caregiver Heart Failure Symptom Response Behaviors in 364 Patient-Caregiver Dyads

Introduction: Recognition and response to symptoms of heart failure (HF) is critical to reducing the risk of hospitalization and mortality. Although many patients have support from caregivers, little is known about caregivers’ contributions to HF symptom response behaviors. We hypothesized that patient-, caregiver-, and dyad-level factors would be associated with better symptom response behaviors. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data on 364 Italian HF patient-caregiver dyads. HF symptom response behaviors were measured using patient and caregiver versions of the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index (0-100; higher = better). Health status (SF-12) and relationship quality (single item) were collected from patients and caregivers. Patient cognition and comorbidities were measured using the MMSE and Charlson Index. Caregiver social support was measured with the Carers of Older People in Europe Index. Hospitalizations were abstracted from the medical record. Multilevel modeling was used for all analyses. Results: Patients were older (age 76.3±10.8 years), predominantly male (57.3%) and most had NYHA Class II/III HF (72.2%). Caregivers were younger (age 57.7±14.6 years), and most were female (51.7%) and adult child (53.6%) or spousal (34.0%) caregivers. Symptom response behaviors were poor in patients (49.1±19.6) and caregivers (54.7±18.3). Patient gender (male β=-4.60±1.92, p&lt;0.05), better cognition (β=0.40±0.19, p&lt;0.05), worse caregiver health (β=-0.43±0.14, p&lt;0.01), and higher relationship quality (β=2.28±0.83, p&lt;0.01) were significant determinants of better patient symptom response. Nonspousal relationship (β=6.62±1.96, p&lt;0.001), fewer patient comorbidities (β=-2.32±0.79, p&lt;0.01), better patient health (β=0.41±0.12, p=0.001), more hospitalizations (β=3.06±1.41, p&lt;0.05), higher relationship quality (β=2.12±0.84, p&lt;0.01), and higher caregiver social support (β=1.09±0.43, p&lt;0.05) were significant determinants of better caregiver symptom response. Conclusions: Combinations of individual and relationship factors were significant determinants of patient and caregiver responses to HF symptoms. Assessment of patient and caregiver as a dyad may be useful in evaluating risk for poor management of HF symptoms.

Explaining antiretroviral therapy adherence success among HIV-infected children in rural Uganda: a qualitative study.

High adherence is critical for achieving clinical benefits of HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) and particularly challenging for children. We conducted 35 qualitative interviews with caregivers of HIV-infected Ugandan children who were followed in a longitudinal study of real-time ART adherence monitoring; 18 participants had undetectable HIV RNA, while 17 had detectable virus. Interviews blinded to viral suppression status elicited information on adherence experiences, barriers and facilitators to adherence, and social support. Using an inductive content analytic approach, we identified 'lack of resources,' 'Lazarus effect,' 'caregiver's sense of obligation and commitment,' and 'child's personal responsibility' as categories of influence on adherence, and defined types of caregiver social support. Among children with viral suppression, high hopes for the child's future and ready access to private instrumental support appeared particularly important. These findings suggest clinical counseling should explore caregivers' views of their children's futures and ability to access support in overcoming adherence barriers.

Patient-, Caregiver-, and Relationship-Level Characteristics Influence Heart Failure Self-Care Maintenance Behaviors in Patient-Caregiver Dyads

Introduction. Many heart failure (HF) patients rely on informal caregivers to assist them with self-care maintenance behaviors that are essential to maintaining clinical stability. However, few studies examining maintenance utilize a dyadic approach that controls for statistical interdependence between patients and caregivers. Hypothesis. Patient-, caregiver-, and relationship-level characteristics influence maintenance behaviors. Methods. This was a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from an Italian convenience sample of community-dwelling HF patients and their caregivers. Patient and caregiver contributions to HF self-care maintenance were measured using parallel versions of the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index. Patient health status, impairment in activities of daily living (ADL), cognition, and HF-specific quality-of-life (QOL) were measured using the SF-12, Barthel Index, Mini-Mental State Exam, and Minnesota Living with HF Questionnaire, respectively. Clinical HF data (duration and hospitalization numbers) were abstracted from the medical record. Caregiver social support was measured with the Carers of Older People in Europe Index. A single item measure was used to assess dyad relationship quality. Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling (MLM), controlling for dyadic interdependence and common confounders. Results. The average age of the sample (n=364 dyads) was 76.3±10.8 for patients and 57.7±14.6 for caregivers. Most patients were male (57.3%) with NYHA Class II/III HF (72.2%). Most caregivers were female (51.7%) and adult children (53.6%) or spouses (34.0%). Patient and caregiver maintenance were highly correlated (r=0.70), with significant variability across dyads. Patient cognition (β=0.29±0.14, p<0.05), less ADL impairment (β=0.13±0.05, p<0.01), worse physical health (β=-0.28±0.10, p<0.01), longer HF duration (β=0.03±0.02, p<0.05), worse HF emotional QOL (β = 0.47±0.21, p<0.05), number of hospitalizations (β=-1.86±0.89, p<0.05), caregiver gender (female β=3.06±1.4, p<0.05), higher social support (β=0.77±0.31, p<0.05), and better dyad relationship quality (β=2.0±0.75, p<0.05) were significant determinants of patient self-care maintenance. Only longer HF duration (β=0.05±0.02, p<0.01) and worse patient HF emotional QOL (β=1.03±0.23, p<0.001) were significant determinants of caregiver contributions to maintenance. Conclusions. In this analysis of HF patient-caregiver dyads, a combination of patient, caregiver, and dyadic characteristics predicted patient self-care maintenance, while only patient characteristics predicted caregiver contributions to maintenance. This innovative analytic approach provides a robust means to examine the complexity and interdependent nature of dyadic care relationships that influence self-care.

TALKING TO YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT SEX IN SOUTH AFRICA: NEIGHBORHOOD AND SOCIAL INFLUENCES

Our study seeks to untangle systemic influences on specific family dynamics understudied in a non‐Western context. Specifically, we examine the associations between caregivers’ perceptions of neighborhood cohesion, neighborhood safety, and social support, and one aspect of parenting relevant to the South African community from which data were drawn, caregiver–youth communication about sex. Multivariate regression models demonstrate interactive relationships among our variables of interest (p ≤ .05). For caregiver–youth dyads (N = 99), living in a neighborhood caregivers perceived to be relatively cohesive or safe was associated with differential relationships (i.e., conditional effects; p ≤ .07) between caregiver social support and youth report of communication about sex. Our findings indicate that neighborhood and social‐level influences on parenting are not universal. Moreover, cross‐cultural adaptations of family‐based behavioral interventions to prevent HIV should consider the role of caregiver social support within diverse neighborhood contexts.

Self-efficacy moderation and mediation roles on BPSD and social support influences on subjective caregiver burden in Chinese spouse caregivers of dementia patients.

ABSTRACT Background: This study aims to explore moderation and mediation roles of caregiver self-efficacy between subjective caregiver burden and (a) behavioral and psychological symptoms (BPSD) of dementia; and (b) social support. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 137 spouse caregivers of dementia patients was conducted in Shanghai. We collected demographic information for the caregiver-patient dyads, as well as information associated with dementia-related impairments, caregiver social support, caregiver self-efficacy, and SF-36. Results: Multiple regression analysis showed that caregiver self-efficacy was a moderator both between BPSD and subjective caregiver burden, and social support and subjective caregiver burden. Results also showed a partial mediation effect of caregiver self-efficacy on the impact of BPSD on subjective caregiver burden, and a mediation effect of social support on subjective caregiver burden. Caregiver self-efficacy and subjective burden significantly influenced BPSD and social support. Conclusion: Caregiver self-efficacy played an important role in the paths by which the two factors influenced subjective burden. Enhancing caregiver self-efficacy for symptom management (particularly BPSD) can be an essential strategy for determining interventions to support dementia caregivers in China, and possibly in other countries.

Apoio social a pacientes coronarianos: efeitos de intervenção comportamental com um familiar

O estudo teve por objetivo aplicar um procedimento de intervenção comportamental em cuidadores de pacientes coronarianos e verificar seus efeitos mediante a percepção do paciente sobre a disponibilidade e satisfação com o apoio social antes (Linha de Base), imediatamente (Momento 2) e três meses após intervenção específica (Momento 3). Uma entrevista semiestruturada e uma escala validada para avaliar o suporte social foram utilizados em três pacientes com diagnóstico de angina instável. As intervenções com os três cuidadores consistiram de quatro sessões semanais, em que técnicas de reforçamento diferencial e automonitoramento foram as principais estratégias comportamentais utilizadas. Os resultados mostraram que, após a intervenção, houve um aumento dos escores dessa variável para os três pacientes (p≤0,05), se comparados à linha de base. Os resultados indicaram a possibilidade de aplicação de técnicas comportamentais para melhorar o apoio social de cuidadores a pacientes coronarianos.