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Elderly Mothers of Adult Children with Intellectual Disability: An Exploration of a Stress Process Model for Caregiving Satisfaction
Author(s) -
Kim Goen,
Chung Soondool
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1468-3148
pISSN - 1360-2322
DOI - 10.1111/jar.12166
Subject(s) - intellectual disability , psychology , coping (psychology) , structural equation modeling , rehabilitation , intervention (counseling) , developmental psychology , independent living , clinical psychology , gerontology , psychiatry , medicine , statistics , mathematics , neuroscience
Background This study examines the utility of Pearlin's caregiving stress model for understanding the caregiving satisfaction of elderly mothers of adult children with intellectual disability. Methods Mothers living in Seoul, Kyonggi, and Incheon who were 55 years of age or older and providing care for adult children with intellectual disability aged 18 or above were selected purposively from community rehabilitation centre users. A total of 392 participants responded to the survey. The structural equation modelling method was used to evaluate the suitability of the stress process model and to test the hypotheses. Results The stress model proved to be a good fit to the data. The results showed that a mediating variable – a problem‐centred coping strategy – transmitted the effect of stress variables such as recognition of ageing, establishment of permanency planning, and worries about the future on caregiving satisfaction. The relationship of adult children with intellectual disability also transmitted the effect of establishment of permanency planning on caregiving satisfaction. However, an indirect effect of an emotion‐centred coping strategy was not shown. Conclusions The findings of this study shed light on the development of intervention strategies for elderly mothers who provide care permanently to adult children with intellectual disabilities.