Dementia Care in Rural Appalachia: Multilevel Analysis of Individual- and County-Level Factors.

Background And Objectives: Home- and community-based services (HCBS) are underutilized, despite offering significant health benefits to both care recipients and caregivers. Drawing upon Andersen's extended behavioral model of health services use, we examined individual- and county-level factors influencing HCBS utilization for dementia care in rural Appalachia.

Research Design And Methods: We analyzed data from telephone interviews with 123 dementia family caregivers in rural Appalachian counties (Mage = 64.

Effects of Receiving Pain-Related Support on Psychological Well-Being: The Moderating Roles of Emotional Responses to Support.

Objectives: We investigated whether receiving greater pain-related instrumental support is associated with poorer psychological well-being among chronic pain patients who report less positive (e.g., grateful) or more negative (e.

Dyadic Links Between Health Changes and Well-Being: The Role of Non-Spousal Confidants.

Although the marital relationship is often the primary source of emotional support in adulthood, sole reliance on the spouse to discuss health-related issues may be harmful to the well-being of both partners. The first aim of this study was to examine whether declines in health during later life would be associated with poorer psychological well-being in self and partner. We further investigated whether declining health would have a stronger impact on own and partner psychological well-being in the absence of non-spousal health confidants.

Perceived Gratitude, Role Overload, and Mental Health Among Spousal Caregivers of Older Adults.

Objectives: We investigated whether spousal caregivers' greater perception of being appreciated by their partner for their help was associated with caregivers' better mental health and whether caregivers' higher role overload was related to their poorer mental health. We further evaluated whether spousal caregivers' greater perceived gratitude buffered the association between their role overload and mental health.

Methods: We examined 306 spousal caregivers of older adults with chronic illness or disability, drawn from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study and National Study of Caregiving.

Perceived Patient Pain and Spousal Caregivers' Negative Affect: The Moderating Role of Spouse Confidence in Patients' Pain Management.

This study examined whether older patients' greater daily pain perceived by their spouses was associated with spouses' higher daily negative affect. We further investigated whether spouses' lower confidence in patients' ability to manage pain exacerbated the daily association between perceived patient pain and spouses' negative affect. We used baseline interviews and a 22-day diary of knee osteoarthritis patients and their spouses ( = 144 couples).

Daily and bidirectional linkages between pain catastrophizing and spouse responses.

Pain catastrophizing has been shown to predict greater pain and less physical function in daily life for chronic pain sufferers, but its effects on close social partners have received much less attention. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which pain catastrophizing is an interpersonal coping strategy that is maladaptive for patients and their spouses. A total of 144 older knee osteoarthritis patients and their spouses completed baseline interviews and a 22-day diary assessment.