HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Cited by other online articles Google Scholar Articles by Dilworth-Anderson, P. Articles by Siegler, I. C. Articles citing this Article PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dilworth-Anderson, P. Articles by Siegler, I. C.

Effect of Race on Cultural Justifications for Caregiving

¹ Center for Aging and Diversity, University of North Carolina Institute on Aging, Chapel Hill.
² Department of Health Policy and Administration, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
³ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
⁴ Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.
⁵ Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill.

Address correspondence to Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, Center for Aging and Diversity, UNC Institute on Aging, 720 Airport Road, Suite 100, CB 1030, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1030. E-mail: dilworth{at}email.unc.edu

Objectives. Our objective in this study was to explore the effects of caregiver characteristics on cultural reasons given for providing care to dependent elderly family members.

Methods. The sample included 48 African American and 121 White caregivers. Using multivariate analyses, we used caregiver characteristics (e.g., race, gender, education) to predict scores on the Cultural Justifications for Caregiving Scale (CJCS).

Results. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the CJCS was appropriate for both African American and White caregivers. African Americans had stronger cultural reasons for providing care than Whites, education levels were inversely related to CJCS scores, and the influences of gender and age on cultural reasons were moderated by race. Compared to females, African American males had lower CJCS scores, whereas White males had higher CJCS scores. Younger as compared to older White caregivers had higher CJCS scores.

Discussion. This study supports the long-standing cultural tradition of African American families providing care to dependent elders. Cultural reasons for caregiving need to be interpreted within the context of race and gender socialization. Social roles, such as husband or wife, son or daughter, can also help determine how individuals within a particular cultural group experience cultural expectations and obligations. Information from this study can inform culturally appropriate caregiving interventions.

This article has been cited by other articles: (Search Google Scholar for Other Citing Articles)

				T. J. McCallum, K. H. Sorocco, and T. Fritsch Mental Health and Diurnal Salivary Cortisol Patterns Among African American and European American Female Dementia Family Caregivers Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, August 1, 2006; 14(8): 684 - 693. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]