Jyoti Savla1,2, Zhe Wang3, Jiafeng Zhu4, Nancy Brossoie1, Karen A Roberto1,5,6, Rosemary Blieszner1. 1. Center for Gerontology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg. 2. Department of Human Development and Family Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg. 3. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Texas Tech University, Lubbock. 4. Department of Biostatistics, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. 5. Institute for Society, Culture and Environment, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg. 6. Departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Researchers have consistently shown that providing care in a gradually deteriorating situation, such as dementia, can be stressful and detrimental to the caregiver's (CG) health. Although stressor appraisal is important in understanding variability in CG outcomes, the role of personal mastery, a coping resource, in shaping CG's health outcomes has not been considered. The primary goal of this paper was to determine whether personal mastery is associated with a survival advantage for spousal CGs of persons with dementia. METHODS: This study assessed the association of CG burden and personal mastery with longevity over a 10-year period in 71 spousal CGs of persons initially diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. RESULTS: Over the 10 years, 16 of 71 CGs (23%) died. Cox regression models with right censoring of CGs' time to death showed that after adjusting for the health of family CG, spousal CGs who reported high levels of burden had an 83% reduced risk of death when they also reported high personal mastery (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04, 0.65). CONCLUSIONS: Findings have implications for support programs that help build personal mastery.
OBJECTIVE: Researchers have consistently shown that providing care in a gradually deteriorating situation, such as dementia, can be stressful and detrimental to the caregiver's (CG) health. Although stressor appraisal is important in understanding variability in CG outcomes, the role of personal mastery, a coping resource, in shaping CG's health outcomes has not been considered. The primary goal of this paper was to determine whether personal mastery is associated with a survival advantage for spousal CGs of persons with dementia. METHODS: This study assessed the association of CG burden and personal mastery with longevity over a 10-year period in 71 spousal CGs of persons initially diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. RESULTS: Over the 10 years, 16 of 71 CGs (23%) died. Cox regression models with right censoring of CGs' time to death showed that after adjusting for the health of family CG, spousal CGs who reported high levels of burden had an 83% reduced risk of death when they also reported high personal mastery (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04, 0.65). CONCLUSIONS: Findings have implications for support programs that help build personal mastery.
Authors: Martinique Perkins; Virginia J Howard; Virginia G Wadley; Michael Crowe; Monika M Safford; William E Haley; George Howard; David L Roth Journal: J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci Date: 2012-10-02 Impact factor: 4.077
Authors: Stephen R Wisniewski; Steven H Belle; David W Coon; Susan M Marcus; Marcia G Ory; Louis D Burgio; Robert Burns; Richard Schulz Journal: Psychol Aging Date: 2003-09