Leisure and distress in caregivers for elderly patients

Abstract Caregiving for the elderly has been linked to mental and physical problems in those providing the care. The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of leisure on caregiver's burden and mental health. Drawing on the stress and coping model, 134 caregiver/care-recipient dyads were as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of gerontology and geriatrics 2010-05, Vol.50 (3), p.347-350
Main Authors: Losada, Andrés, Pérez-Peñaranda, Aníbal, Rodriguez-Sanchez, Emiliano, Gomez-Marcos, Manuel Angel, Ballesteros-Rios, Carmen, Ramos-Carrera, Isabel Rosa, Campo-de la Torre, Mª Ángeles, García-Ortiz, Luis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of Daily Living
Adaptation, Psychological
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Caregiver burden
Caregivers - psychology
Carers
Caretaker syndrome
Cost of Illness
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dependency
Female
Humans
Internal Medicine
Leisure
Leisure Activities
Leisure time
Linear Models
Male
Mental health
Middle Aged
Multivariate Analysis
Social Support
Spain
Stress, Psychological - prevention & control
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Summary:Abstract Caregiving for the elderly has been linked to mental and physical problems in those providing the care. The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of leisure on caregiver's burden and mental health. Drawing on the stress and coping model, 134 caregiver/care-recipient dyads were assessed. In addition to caregivers’ perception of their leisure time, social support, burden and mental health, care-recipients’ functional and mental status were also measured. The results of a set of hierarchical regression analyses showed that caregivers’ perceptions of their leisure time were significantly negatively related to burden and mental health problems ( p < 0.01), even after socio-demographic variables, care recipient's functional status and caregiver's social support had been controlled. The results of this study suggest that leisure time has a significant impact on caregiver's psychological well-being, and appears to be an important issue for buffering caregiver distress.
ISSN:0167-4943
1872-6976
DOI:10.1016/j.archger.2009.06.001