Skip Navigation

The Gerontologist 1995 35(1):94-102; doi:10.1093/geront/35.1.94
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lieberman, M. A.
Right arrow Articles by Fisher, L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Lieberman, M. A.
Right arrow Articles by Fisher, L.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1995 The Gerontological Society of America

The Impact of Chronic Illness on the Health and Well-Being of Family Members1

Morton A. Lieberman, PhD2 and Lawrence Fisher, PhD3

3 Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

2 Address correspondence to Morton A. Lieberman, PhD, Box 0848, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143.


  Abstract

Examined is the impact of dementia on the physical and mental health of all family members caring for an ill parent/spouse. The sample included 97 spouses of patients diagnosed with either Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia, 186 offspring, and 97 offspring spouses or "in-laws." Multiple regression tested the association between severity of the illness and family member health and well-being. Severity was significantly associated with health and well-being for spouses, offspring, and in-laws, regardless of the amount of caregiving, demonstrating the potential cascading effect of the illness through the family. Use of services displayed no direct association with spouse health and well-being, but service utilization interacted with illness severity. The relationship between severity of illness and spouse health was lower under conditions of high service utilization than under conditions of low service utilization.

Keywords: Dementia, Family, Service, Carehours, Gender

Received March 1, 1993; Accepted January 13, 1994

1 This research was supported by the Department of Health, State of California, and a Research Career Scientist Award, NIMH, to the first author.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J Aging HealthHome page
J. Son, A. Erno, D. G. Shea, E. E. Femia, S. H. Zarit, and M. A. Parris Stephens
The Caregiver Stress Process and Health Outcomes
J Aging Health, December 1, 2007; 19(6): 871 - 887.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Nurs Sci QHome page
P.-F. Tsai
A Middle-Range Theory of Caregiver Stress
Nurs Sci Q, April 1, 2003; 16(2): 137 - 145.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 J Aging HealthHome page
R. R. Corbeil, M. P. Quayhagen, and M. Quayhagen
Intervention Effects on Dementia Caregiving Interaction: A Stress-Adaptation Modeling Approach
J Aging Health, February 1, 1999; 11(1): 79 - 95.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 West J Nurs ResHome page
M. P. Quayhagen and M. Quayhagen
Discovering Life Quality in Coping with Dementia
West J Nurs Res, April 1, 1996; 18(2): 120 - 135.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.