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Learning Objective 1: discuss the relationship between quality of marriage and care receiver distress.
Learning Objective 2: describe the relationship between caregiver communication and emotional distress in spouses with Alzheimer’s Disease
The purpose is to describe the relationship between communication, marital quality, and care receiver distress in couples affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD). Nurses and nurse researchers are the target audience. Nurses who encounter spouse caregivers in hospitals, long term care facilities and the community would be interested in the findings.
Participants/Sampling
Caregivers (5 men and 11 women) and their partners with Alzheimer's disease who were English speaking, age 55 and older, both living in the community. CGs were cognitively intact and CR mean MMSE was 16.81 (SD = 7.94) indicating moderate impairment.
Design: This was a descriptive correlational study.
Results
Emotional distress in spouses with AD was measured by the 10 minute Observed Emotion Rating Scale, martial quality was rated by caregivers (CG) using the Marital Quality Index while caregiver communication was measured by observer ratings of unstructured videotaped conversations using the Verbal-Nonverbal Interaction Scale. Lower CG marital ratings was associated with more negative CG communication (r = .631, p < .01) and more distress in spouses with AD (r = .546, p < .05).
Implications
Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease are often cared for by spouse caregivers who may be unhappily married. Findings suggest that poor marital communication is associated with increased distress in spouses affected by AD particularly when CGs report low marital quality. Further research is needed confirm these findings and to test relationship-centered interventions. Nurses can take advantage of opportunities to teach, support and model skillful, supportive caregiving.
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