Family caregiving among Hispanic groups in the United States: The case of the Cuban-American elderly
Description
This ethno-gerontological field study examined family caregiving in an aged colony of Latino immigrants from Cuba residing in the New Orleans Metro Area. Most of these families have been in this community for over three decades The empirical investigation based on five hypotheses compared caregiving burden among caregivers based on the effect of level of care, acculturation, traditional cultural value orientation, social support, and ethno-demographic aspects of the population. The study also examined caregiving impact, mastery, and satisfaction with the caregiving role; however, caregiving burden was the central variable of the study The sample consisted of 60 Cuban-American families caring for their dependent elderly (aged 65 and over) in a home environment. Caregivers were selected on the basis of assisting with at least three of the ten Activities of Daily Living (ADL's) (1989). Levels of caregiving were measured using the ADL's items. Data were obtained from caregivers regarding their level of acculturation utilizing the Behavioral Acculturation Scale (1978). Cultural value orientation related to person-nature, time, and relational orientations was measured utilizing items from the Intercultural Value Inventory (1990) and the original Value Orientation Scale (1961). Subjective burden along with other caregiving subjective experiences were measured using the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Caregiving Appraisal Scale (1989). Caregiver's social support was measured by various items examining enacted support, satisfaction with that support, and extent of the support network. The perception of emotional support was measured by a scale from the Caregiving Stress and Coping Study (1990). An ethno-demographic instrument was developed specifically for this sample based on Hernandez-Peck's (1980) study of elderly Cubans in Miami. The ethno-demographic instrument was used to measured the social history of caregivers and the elderly. Variables were measured utilizing t-tests and simple and stepwise multiple regression procedures The results indicated that the higher the level of caregiving the greater the subjective burden. Subjective burden was also intensified by emotional and/or personality problems of the elderly relative. Social support was a significant buffering factor on caregiving burden. Perceived social support revealed an even stronger positive effect on caregiving burden than the actual tangible support. Some traditional values also predicted a lesser subjective burden and more satisfaction with the caregiver role. Lower levels of behavioral acculturation (speaking more Spanish, expending more time among Hispanics, and preserving more Cuban-Hispanic family traditions) also revealed a lower subjective caregiving burden. Some demographic variables acted as positive mediators in the family caregiving process Additionally, this study conveyed qualitative information about the field experiences relevant to the theories and the empirical findings of the study