Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing

Shoma Chakrawarty ¹, D. Dhanalakshmi ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Psychology, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, IN

Abstract

As chronic and lifestyle illnesses rise sharply, the need to cope with caregiving demands is experienced acutely by an unprecedented number of family caregivers. This study aimed to ascertain the relationship between general health, caregiver strain and perceived social support in the context of informal caregiving. A sample of 45 long-term family caregivers was selected through the purposive sampling technique and caregiver strain, general health and social support were measured. Caregiver strain was measured using the Modified Caregiver Strain Index (Sullivan, 2003), while general health was measured using the General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg & Hillier, 1978). The level of perceived social support among the participants was measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet et al., 1988). The correlation analysis revealed a positive association between caregiver strain and general health and an inverse association between caregiver strain and social support, while the 't' tests revealed that a higher level of education and an employed status were associated with better health outcomes. ANOVA showed a significant difference in the levels of caregiver strain based on the type of illness. In this study, education, employment and social support were found to help caregivers fulfill their demands with fewer adverse effects. The findings highlight the role of evaluating the health and psychological well-being of caregivers and administering necessary interventions to minimize their health risks.

Keywords

Caregiver Strain, Perceived Social Support, General Health, Chronic Diseases.

Full Text

     

Pavitra Vasudevan ¹, Shoma Chakrawarty ¹, D. Dhanalakshmi ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Applied Psychology, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, IN

Abstract

The study undertook a rare challenge of exploring the protective factors in middle adulthood as most research in this area looks at these factors in the context of the young or the elderly population. The study was armed at exploring the relationship between optimism, health, coping and social support. A sample of hundred middle-aged participants (51 women and 49 men) were surveyed using the General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg&Williams, 1978), Life Orientation Test (Carver&Scheier, 1994), Ways of Coping Questionnaire (Folkman&Lazarus, 1985) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet, et al, 1988). The results indicated that people with a more optimistic outlook enjoyed better social support and utilized more adaptive coping strategies. There were no gender differences in optimism, social support and general health, although men manifested a tendency to use more escape avoidance and positive reappraisal. Teachers tended to have poorer health outcomes and used more avoidant coping strategies. In the model predicting health, planful problem solving emerged as the strongest predictor, followed by optimism, escape avoidance and social support from a significant other. The study reinforces the value of adaptive coping strategies for the health and wellbeing of individuals under stress. It also highlights the role of personal and social resources like optimism and social support, respectively, in fostering resilience in the face of the stressors of life.

Keywords

Health, Optimism, Social Support, Coping, Middle Adulthood.

Full Text