The contexts of experiencing emotional distress among family caregivers to elderly African Americans

Using a contextual approach, this study examined predictors of emotional distress among 187 African American caregivers to dependent elders. The results show that almost 20% of the caregivers were emotionally distressed which is indicated by having a t-score of 63 or more on two of the nine sub-scales of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) or by having t-score of 63 or more on the Global Severity Index (a global measure of the BSI) (Derogatis & Spencer 1982). The results also show that caregivers who were distressed received less social support, were in poor physical health, and experienced more caregiving role strain than caregivers who were not distressed.