Effect of Caregiver Family Status on Care Recipient Symptom Severity and Caregiver Stress at Nursing Home Intake

The present research investigates differences between primary informal caregivers who were in the care recipient's immediate family (adult children or spouses) versus those primary caregivers who were outside the immediate family. Measurement occurred at the time of admission of the care recipient to an urban nursing home. We hypothesized that immediate family caregivers would report greater behavioral disturbance among care recipients and increased caregiver depression and stress. Data were collected from 115 consecutive caregiver-elder dyads at nursing home intake. Non-immediate family caregivers comprised 43% of the sample. Consistent with our hypotheses, immediate family caregivers reported significantly greater caregiver depression and caregiver stress. Immediate family care recipients demonstrated greater behavioral disturbance. Implications for policy and caregiver interventions are discussed.