Social science & medicine
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Social science & medicine · Aug 2006
Randomized Controlled TrialPredictors of improvement in social support: Five-year effects of a structured intervention for caregivers of spouses with Alzheimer's disease.
Those who provide care at home for a spouse with Alzheimer's disease (AD) endure considerable challenges, including social isolation and increasing caregiving responsibilities. We examine the extent to which an intervention that helps spouse-caregivers mobilize their social support network, helps them better adapt to the caregiving role. ⋯ Higher levels of emotional support, more visits, and having more network members to whom they felt close were all individually predictive of longitudinal changes in social support network satisfaction. We conclude with a discussion of the importance of having psychological respite when caregivers spend their days in the home and are isolated.