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Biomedical subjects

R A Pruchno

Publications and source records attributed to R A Pruchno.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Aberrant behaviors and Alzheimer's disease: mental health effects on spouse caregivers.

The relationships between well-being of 262 caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients and forgetful, asocial, and disoriented behaviors on the part of the impaired spouse were examined using three one-way MANOVAs. Results indicate that asocial and disoriented behaviors have linear relationships with levels of burden, specific mental health problems attributed to caregiving, and the extent to which caregivers sacrificed aspects of their social life. Asocial behaviors were also linearly related to overall level of caregiver depression. Forgetful behaviors, on the other hand, have relationships with burden, specific mental health problems attributed to caregiving, and social change that are nonlinear. Data are interpreted in terms of the predictable course of Alzheimer's disease and associated role expectations.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1989

Husbands and wives as caregivers: antecedents of depression and burden.

Contrasting predictors of depression among 101 men and 214 women providing care to spouses suffering from Alzheimer's Disease indicated that the sole predictor for husbands was ill health, whereas for wives less emotional investment was also predictive. While there were no significant predictors for burden among husbands, for wives, burden was associated with poorer health, less emotional investment, greater spouse impairment, and provision of more assistance with tasks.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1989

Caregiving spouses. Physical and mental health in perspective.

The self-reported physical and mental health of 315 persons caring for a spouse who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder was compared with general population norms for existing data bases controlling for age and gender. Results suggest that across all indicators of mental health, spouse caregivers are more depressed, express higher levels of negative affect, are more likely to use psychotropic drugs, and have more symptoms of psychological distress than the general population. In terms of physical health, caregivers report higher than expected rates of diabetes, arthritis, ulcers, and anemia, yet they use medical services at rates which are similar or lower than those reported by the general population. Since no simultaneous control group was studied, these results suggest, but do not prove, the presence of differences between caregivers and non-caregivers.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

The context of change: disorientation following intra-institutional relocation.

Levels of disorientation following either intra-institutional relocation or no relocation were compared for a sample of people resident in a nursing home from April to October, 1983, and a second, independent sample who were either moved or not moved between December 1985 and June 1986. Results of separate logistic regression analyses indicated no differences in disorientation dependent on move status for the first sample, but significant differences for the second group. Among the latter group, nonmovers demonstrated the highest levels of disorientation. Results are interpreted as a function of the larger contexts in which the moves were made. Suggestions are made regarding issues of concern for administrators of long-term care facilities faced with the responsibility of relocating nursing home residents.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1988

Psychometric assessment of the Multidimensional Observation Scale for Elderly Subjects (MOSES).

The factor structure of the MOSES proposed by Helmes et al. (1987) was tested using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis procedures. Results indicated that although the number of factors suggested was appropriate, the manifest variables proposed for each latent factor were not stable. A modified 5-factor model using 24 of the original 40 variables was proposed and tested. Confirmation of the modified model suggests factorial invariance across two independent samples. Internal consistency for the five scales measured by coefficient alphas ranged from 0.62 to 0.92. Difficulties in scoring MOSES items are discussed, and solutions offered for alleviating the problems. The 5-factor MOSES model is suggested as a useful research and clinical tool.

Aged↗