A longitudinal study of coping and burnout among Japanese family caregivers of frail elders.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to clarify causal relations between coping strategies and burnout in family caregivers of frail elders in Japan.

Methods: Baseline and 1-year follow-up interviews were conducted with 546 caregivers living in suburban Tokyo. Using newly refined measures, five coping strategies of caregivers (Keeping Their Own Pace, Positive Acceptance of Caregiving Role, Diversion, Informal Support Seeking, and Formal Support Seeking), and caregiver burnout were measured, as well as several confounding factors.

[Stress-buffering effects of coping strategies among caregivers for impaired Japanese elderly].

This study examines stress-buffering effects of coping strategies among caregivers for Japanese impaired elderly. Eight hundred thirty-two valid responses obtained from primary caregivers of impaired persons aged 65 years old and over living in the community were analyzed. A path model was constructed with physical disability and cognitive impairment of the elderly as the primary stressor, caregiving captivity as the secondary stressor, followed by burnout.