Caring for aging parents: The influence of family coping, spirituality/religiosity, and hope on the marital satisfaction of family caregivers
Abstract
This paper examines the effect of caregiving stress, family coping, spirituality/religiosity, and hope on the marital satisfaction of family caregivers who provide care for their aging parent(s). The goal of this study was to gain a more complete understanding of the marital satisfaction of family caregivers based on a strength-based framework of family resiliency. Previous research has identified a relationship between the caregiving experience and coping, spirituality/religiosity, and hope, but no study to date has investigated the effect of those variables on the marital satisfaction of family caregivers. It was hypothesized that family caregivers who are spiritual/religious, hopeful, and use effective family coping strategies would experience greater marital satisfaction. A hierarchical linear regression analyzing data from 191 family caregivers revealed that caregiving stress, spirituality/religiosity, and use of effective family coping strategies significantly predicted marital satisfaction. The importance of these findings to family caregivers and the implications for clinicians working with this population are discussed.
Degree
M.S.
Advisors
Nalbone, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Behavioral psychology|Individual & family studies
Off-Campus Purdue Users:
To access this dissertation, please log in to our
proxy server.