Caring for Dementia Caregivers: Psychosocial Factors Related to Engagement in Self-Care Activities
Caregivers often prioritize the needs of the care recipient and neglect their own health needs. It is imperative to understand the factors related to their self-care practices and engagement in self-care activities. The present study examined the extent to which dementia caregivers engaged in self-c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/10/851 |
| _version_ | 1797574693166776320 |
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| author | Xinyao Lin Jerad H. Moxley Sara J. Czaja |
| author_facet | Xinyao Lin Jerad H. Moxley Sara J. Czaja |
| author_sort | Xinyao Lin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Caregivers often prioritize the needs of the care recipient and neglect their own health needs. It is imperative to understand the factors related to their self-care practices and engagement in self-care activities. The present study examined the extent to which dementia caregivers engaged in self-care activities, how this varied depending on caregiver characteristics, and whether self-care engagement mediated the relationship between social support and caregiver outcomes. The study utilized baseline data from a diverse sample of dementia caregivers (N = 243) who participated in a randomized trial evaluating a psychosocial technology-based caregiver intervention. Results showed that the dementia caregivers engaged in low levels of self-care activities and that their engagement varied based on the caregivers’ background characteristics (age, gender, race/ethnicity, relationship to the care recipient, and employment status). Less caregiver involvement (e.g., less ADL/IADL help provided and more caregiver preparedness) and more social support predicted higher self-care activity engagement. Self-care activity engagement served as a mediator, such that more social support predicted more self-care activities, which, in turn, were associated with more positive perceptions of caregiving and less caregiver burden and depression. The findings suggest a need for interventions that promote self-care engagement among dementia caregivers and underscore the importance of social support and caregiver preparedness to caregivers’ well-being. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:26:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dbf72d84ded5415290be0180af2d6f1d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:26:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-dbf72d84ded5415290be0180af2d6f1d2023-11-19T15:40:38ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2023-10-01131085110.3390/bs13100851Caring for Dementia Caregivers: Psychosocial Factors Related to Engagement in Self-Care ActivitiesXinyao Lin0Jerad H. Moxley1Sara J. Czaja2Center on Aging and Behavioral Research, Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USACenter on Aging and Behavioral Research, Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USACenter on Aging and Behavioral Research, Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USACaregivers often prioritize the needs of the care recipient and neglect their own health needs. It is imperative to understand the factors related to their self-care practices and engagement in self-care activities. The present study examined the extent to which dementia caregivers engaged in self-care activities, how this varied depending on caregiver characteristics, and whether self-care engagement mediated the relationship between social support and caregiver outcomes. The study utilized baseline data from a diverse sample of dementia caregivers (N = 243) who participated in a randomized trial evaluating a psychosocial technology-based caregiver intervention. Results showed that the dementia caregivers engaged in low levels of self-care activities and that their engagement varied based on the caregivers’ background characteristics (age, gender, race/ethnicity, relationship to the care recipient, and employment status). Less caregiver involvement (e.g., less ADL/IADL help provided and more caregiver preparedness) and more social support predicted higher self-care activity engagement. Self-care activity engagement served as a mediator, such that more social support predicted more self-care activities, which, in turn, were associated with more positive perceptions of caregiving and less caregiver burden and depression. The findings suggest a need for interventions that promote self-care engagement among dementia caregivers and underscore the importance of social support and caregiver preparedness to caregivers’ well-being.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/10/851caregivinghealth and well-beingsocial supportcaregiver involvementdemographic |
| spellingShingle | Xinyao Lin Jerad H. Moxley Sara J. Czaja Caring for Dementia Caregivers: Psychosocial Factors Related to Engagement in Self-Care Activities Behavioral Sciences caregiving health and well-being social support caregiver involvement demographic |
| title | Caring for Dementia Caregivers: Psychosocial Factors Related to Engagement in Self-Care Activities |
| title_full | Caring for Dementia Caregivers: Psychosocial Factors Related to Engagement in Self-Care Activities |
| title_fullStr | Caring for Dementia Caregivers: Psychosocial Factors Related to Engagement in Self-Care Activities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Caring for Dementia Caregivers: Psychosocial Factors Related to Engagement in Self-Care Activities |
| title_short | Caring for Dementia Caregivers: Psychosocial Factors Related to Engagement in Self-Care Activities |
| title_sort | caring for dementia caregivers psychosocial factors related to engagement in self care activities |
| topic | caregiving health and well-being social support caregiver involvement demographic |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/10/851 |
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