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Distressing Emotions in Female Caregivers of People With AIDS, Age‐Related Dementias, and Advanced‐Stage Cancers
Author(s) -
Flaskerud Jacquelyn H.,
Carter Patricia A.,
Lee Patricia
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
perspectives in psychiatric care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.538
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1744-6163
pISSN - 0031-5990
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-6163.2000.tb00600.x
Subject(s) - anger , anxiety , mood , distress , distressing , mental health , clinical psychology , affect (linguistics) , psychology , psychiatry , chemistry , communication
PURPOSE. To describe and compare the depressive mood, anxiety, anger, and sleep problems of informal female caregivers of people with AIDS, age‐related dementias (ARD), and cancer (CA). METHODS. Caregives recruited from clinics serving people with AIDS, ARD, and CA were interviwed using structured instruments measuring epressive sumptoms, anxiety, anger, and sleep problems. Data analysis compared these emotions in the caregives and related aspects of the caregiving situation to these emotions within each group. FINDINGS. Caregivers did not differ significantly in depressive mood, but did differ in anxiety and anger and sleep problems. Individual items on each scale were compared to provide more descriptive detail. In each group distressing emotions were siginficantly related to each other and to sleep problems. CONCLUSIONS. Caregivers of people with AIDS, ARD, and CA experience distressing emotions that may affects their mental and physical health. A comprehensive apporach to mental health nursing therapy will best meet the needs of caregivers in reieving their distress