STRESSES AND SATISFACTIONS OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS TO OLDER STROKE PATIENTS

This research investigated the daily stresses (hassles) and satisfactions (uplifts) reported by 78 family members caring for a relative who had recently experienced a stroke. Four domains of hassles and uplifts were examined for their direct effects on three indices of caregiver well-being (caregivers' social activities, social relationships, depression), as well as for the protective effects of uplifts on well-being. Caregivers reported more uplifts than hassles, and care-recipient characteristics were stronger predictors of both hassles and uplifts than were caregiver characteristics. Hassles demonstrated the strongest associations with well-being, with caregivers who reported more hassles also reporting lower levels of well-being. Although uplifts failed to demonstrate consistent direct associations with well-being, when the net effects of appraisals were positive (that is, when caregiving uplifts outweighed caregiving hassles), caregivers reported lower levels of distress. Results concerning the protective effects of uplifts are consistent with transactional models of stress.