@article {587, title = {Predictors of perceived health status in elderly men and women. The Cardiovascular Health Study.}, journal = {J Aging Health}, volume = {6}, year = {1994}, month = {1994 Nov}, pages = {419-47}, abstract = {

Baseline data on the perceived health status of participants (N = 5,201) in the Cardiovascular Health Study of the Elderly (CHS) are reported. The authors examined the predictive utility of health-related factors representing eight different domains, assessed gender differences in the prediction of perceived health, and tested a hypothesis regarding the role of known clinical conditions versus subclinical disease in predicting perceived health. Multivariate analyses showed that the majority of the explained variance in self-assessed health is accounted for by variables that fall into four general categories. Although gender differences were small, the analysis showed that the relative importance of several predictor variables did vary by gender.

}, keywords = {Aged, Cardiovascular Diseases, Data Collection, Female, Forecasting, Geriatric Assessment, Health Status, Humans, Male, Multivariate Analysis, Regression Analysis, Self-Assessment, Sex Factors, United States}, issn = {0898-2643}, doi = {10.1177/089826439400600401}, author = {Schulz, R and Mittelmark, M and Kronmal, R and Polak, J F and Hirsch, C H and German, P and Bookwala, J} } @article {1474, title = {Spousal similarity in subjective well-being: the Cardiovascular Health Study.}, journal = {Psychol Aging}, volume = {11}, year = {1996}, month = {1996 Dec}, pages = {582-90}, abstract = {

This study examines the extent to which one spouse{\textquoteright}s subjective well-being predicts that of the partner (N = 1,040 spousal pairs, 65 years or older). Prior research is extended in two ways: (a) The similarity of both affective domains (depressive symptoms, feelings about life as a whole, and satisfaction with the meaning and purpose of life) and nonaffective domains (perceived health) are examined, and (b) known predictors of well-being in older adults (sociodemographic variables, self and spouse health status variables, and exposure to common environmental events) are statistically controlled. Results indicate that one spouse{\textquoteright}s assessments of well-being and depression predict the other{\textquoteright}s well-being even after controlling for known predictors of these outcomes. Given the similarity of findings for affective and nonaffective domains, multiple mechanisms, including contagion, mate selection, and common environmental influences, are speculated as likely to contribute to this phenomenon.

}, keywords = {Activities of Daily Living, Adaptation, Psychological, Aged, Cardiovascular Diseases, Depression, Female, Geriatric Assessment, Humans, Male, Personal Satisfaction, Sick Role, Social Environment, Spouses}, issn = {0882-7974}, author = {Bookwala, J and Schulz, R} } @article {1505, title = {The role of neuroticism and mastery in spouse caregivers{\textquoteright} assessment of and response to a contextual stressor.}, journal = {J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci}, volume = {53}, year = {1998}, month = {1998 May}, pages = {P155-64}, abstract = {

Data from more than 300 spousal caregivers and their care recipients were analyzed to demonstrate the effects of caregivers{\textquoteright} personality attributes--neuroticism and mastery--on their assessment of a contextual stressor (the care recipient{\textquoteright}s behavioral and functional impairment) and on their experience of distress associated with that stressor. Caregivers who were high in neuroticism and/or low in mastery reported higher levels of behavioral and functional impairment in their disabled spouse and experienced more strain and depressive symptoms associated with caregiving relative to caregivers with lower neuroticism or higher mastery scores. We further showed that the widely reported association between caregiver-assessed impairment of the care recipient and caregiver outcomes can in part be explained by caregivers{\textquoteright} personality attributes, such as neuroticism and mastery. Our findings that caregivers{\textquoteright} personality variables are related to their assessment of a given objective stressor and their response to a given level of stress have implications for interventions targeting caregivers and for the use of caregivers as proxy informants.

}, keywords = {Aged, Caregivers, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Neurotic Disorders, Personality, Personality Assessment, Stress, Psychological}, issn = {1079-5014}, author = {Bookwala, J and Schulz, R} } @article {627, title = {A comparison of primary stressors, secondary stressors, and depressive symptoms between elderly caregiving husbands and wives: the Caregiver Health Effects Study.}, journal = {Psychol Aging}, volume = {15}, year = {2000}, month = {2000 Dec}, pages = {607-16}, abstract = {

The present study examined gender differences in the experience of primary and secondary caregiving stressors, depressive symptoms, and their interrelationships using a sample of 283 elderly spouse caregivers (145 women, 138 men). Two primary stressors, two secondary stressors, and depressive symptoms were assessed. In general, t-tests indicated that caregiving husbands experience fewer stressors and depressive symptoms than their female counterparts. Multiple group analysis revealed that the primary stressors were more useful in explaining variance associated with the secondary stressors for women than men and that the path coefficients linking amount of caregiving assistance to caregivers{\textquoteright} activity restriction was significantly different across men and women. Other paths linking primary stressors, secondary stressors, and depressive symptoms, however, were statistically equivalent across men and women. Hence, although caregiving women and men may vary in their reports of caregiving stressors, the complexity of the caregiving experience appears to be quite uniform for both groups.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aging, Caregivers, Depressive Disorder, Female, Health Status, Humans, Male, Spouses, Stress, Psychological}, issn = {0882-7974}, doi = {10.1037//0882-7974.15.4.607}, author = {Bookwala, J and Schulz, R} }