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Jessica Alva Dissertation.pdf (4.06 MB)

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Family Caregiver Interdependence: A Dyadic Analysis of Primary and Secondary Caregivers of Relatives with Major Neurocognitive Disorder

Alva, Jessica Isabel
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1465660522

Abstract Details

2016, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Psychology.
Major neurocognitive disorder is often referred to as a “family disease” due to the challenges and chronic stressors faced by family caregivers. Despite the widespread effect of major neurocognitive disorder on a patient’s family, caregiving is rarely examined within a family context. Instead, the experience of primary caregivers is frequently researched while auxiliary family caregivers are ignored. This study addresses this oversight by utilizing dyadic analysis to examine perspectives of 52 collaborating caregivers (primary and secondary caregivers) within 26 family units. Differences and interdependence between collaborating caregivers were examined on variables of objective care demands (daily care needs and behavior symptoms), subjective appraisals (daily care bother and behavior bother) and psychosocial outcomes (caregiver burden and depressive symptomatology) based on the stress process model. Significant differences were not found between collaborating caregivers on objective care demands and subjective appraisals. In contrast, primary caregivers endorsed significantly greater depressive symptomatology and burden compared to their secondary caregiver counterparts. Primary caregivers’ bother with behavior symptoms was a significant predictor of their own depressive symptomatology, whereas secondary caregivers’ behavior bother predicted their own burden. Secondary caregivers’ subjective appraisals of behavior bother contributed to primary caregivers’ burden and depressive symptomatology. However, primary caregivers’ subjective appraisals influenced neither secondary caregivers’ level of burden nor depressive symptoms. Supplemental qualitative findings revealed several shared themes between primary and secondary caregivers, as well as themes unique to each group. This is the first study to make dyadic comparisons on primary and secondary caregivers across important variables associated with the caregiving experience (objective care demands, subjective appraisals, and psychosocial outcomes). As the number of individuals diagnosed with a major neurocognitive disorder increases in the coming years, an understanding of the similarities, differences, and interactions between collaborating caregivers is important for the development of effective caregiver interventions and services.
TJ McCallum (Advisor)
95 p.
Psychology
caregiving; family caregiving; dyads; caregiver dyads; primary and secondary caregivers; caregiver burden; interdependence; dementia; neurocognitive disorder;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Alva, J. I. (2016). Family Caregiver Interdependence: A Dyadic Analysis of Primary and Secondary Caregivers of Relatives with Major Neurocognitive Disorder [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1465660522

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Alva, Jessica. Family Caregiver Interdependence: A Dyadic Analysis of Primary and Secondary Caregivers of Relatives with Major Neurocognitive Disorder. 2016. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1465660522.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Alva, Jessica. "Family Caregiver Interdependence: A Dyadic Analysis of Primary and Secondary Caregivers of Relatives with Major Neurocognitive Disorder." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1465660522

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1465660522
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© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.