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Expressive social support buffers the impact of care-related work interruptions on caregivers' depressive symptoms
- Authors:
- ANG Shannon, MALHOTRA Rahul
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 22(6), 2018, pp.755-763.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objective: To assess if expressive and instrumental social support from family and friends moderate the association of care-related work interruptions (e.g. leaving work for the older adult's doctor appointment) with depressive symptoms among working family caregivers of older adults. Methods: Data were from the Singapore Survey on Informal Caregiving (SSIC). A subsample of 662 dyads, each comprising an older care-recipient [home-dwelling Singaporean aged 75 and older receiving human assistance for at least one activity of daily living (ADL)] and his/her working family caregiver, was analysed. Caregiver depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Care-related work interruptions were scaled through the Mokken scaling procedure. Expressive social support was assessed using a scale by Pearlin and co-workers. Instrumental social support was based on the hours of ADL help provided to the care-recipient by any family member or friend, on behalf of the primary caregiver. A linear regression model, with interaction terms, assessed expressive and instrumental social support as moderators of the association of care-related work interruptions with caregiver depressive symptoms. Results: More care-related work interruptions were associated with more caregiver depressive symptoms. And, this association was moderated by expressive, but not instrumental, social support. Conclusion: The findings conform to previous qualitative work suggesting that caregivers’ mental health may not benefit from instrumental support, but from receiving expressive support instead. Initiatives for improving the care experience of working caregivers of older adults should focus on promoting expressive support from their friends and family. (Edited publisher abstract)
Buddhism-as-a-meaning-system for coping with late-life stress: a conceptual framework
- Author:
- XU Jianbin
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 22(1), 2018, pp.100-108.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: Religion is increasingly conceptualised as a meaning system for adjustment and coping. Most of the conceptualisations are grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition. They may thus not be applicable to Buddhism, which provides a distinct tenor of meaning for coping. This article seeks to construct a conceptual framework of Buddhism-as-a-meaning-system for coping with late-life stress. Method: Literature review and conceptualisation were employed. Results: Under this framework, Buddhism functions as a meaning system involving existential meaning, cognitive meaning, and behavioural meaning. Conclusion: There is reason to believe that this framework promises to offer a holistic conceptual map of Buddhist coping in late life. Thus, it could serve as a guide for further empirical and theoretical exploration in the uncharted terrains of Buddhist coping in old age. In addition, gerontological practitioners could use this framework as a frame of reference when working with elderly Buddhist clients who are in stressful circumstances. (Publisher abstract)
Application of the European quality indicators for psychosocial dementia care in long-term care facilities in the Asia-Pacific region: a pilot study
- Authors:
- JEON Yun-Hee, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 22(10), 2018, pp.1279-1286.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: An Asia-Pacific regional collaboration group conducted its first multi-country research project to determine whether or not European quality indicators (QIs) for psychosocial care in dementia could be implemented as a valid tool in residential aged care across seven Asia-Pacific sites (Australia, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand). Method: Following the European QI protocol, auditing and data extraction of medical records of consenting residents with dementia were conducted by trained auditors with relevant health care backgrounds. Detailed field notes by the auditors were also obtained to describe the characteristics of the participating care facilities, as well as key issues and challenges encountered, for each of the 12 QIs. Results: Sixteen residential care facilities in the seven Asia-Pacific sites participated in this study. Data from 275 residents’ records revealed each of the 12 Qis’ endorsement varied widely within and between the study sites (0%–100%). Quality of the medical records, family and cultural differences, definitions and scoring of certain indicators, and time-consuming nature of the QI administration were main concerns for implementation. Conclusion: Several items in the European QIs in the current format were deemed problematic when used to measure the quality of psychosocial care in the residential aged care settings in participating Asia-Pacific countries. The authors propose refinements of the European QIs for the Asian-Pacific context, taking into account multiple factors identified in this study. The findings provide crucial insights for future research and implementation of psychosocial dementia care QIs in this region. (Edited publisher abstract)