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Caregiving for Parkinson's Disease Patients: An Exploration of a Stress-Appraisal Model for Quality of Life and Burden

Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.

Address correspondence to: Simon Knowles, Swinburne University of Technology, John St, Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria 3122, Australia. E-mail: sknowles{at}swin.edu.au

Extending the 2002 stress-appraisal model of Chappell and Reid, we examined the relationships between caregiver stressors (e.g., cognitive impairment and functional dependency of the recipient), appraisal (informal hours of caregiving), and protective factors (e.g., social support, self-esteem, and quality of the caregiver–recipient relationship) associated with the burden and quality of life of Parkinson's disease caregivers. There were 136 caregivers (M = 64.59 years) who completed an online survey. Using structural equation modeling, we found that the extended stress-appraisal model of Chappell and Reid provided a good fit to the data (² = 67.87, df = 55, p >.05; ²/df = 1.23, Comparative Fit Index = 0.98, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.04). This study provides an important contribution to a growing field of research that applies theoretical models to investigate the stressors, appraisals, and protective factors that impact caregiver well-being.

Key Words: Parkinson's disease • Caregiver • Burden • Quality of life