RESEARCH MATRIX

Research Matrices Critique



Type of Study

Location

Variables

Framework Theory

Study

Design

Sample

Quantitative

Participants were recruited through the

Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC), University of California San Diego (UCSD),

Local senior centers, Community support groups, senior service professionals, and Medical clinics.

Independent Variable

Personal mastery

Care giving stress

Dependent Variable:

Caregiver depressive

symptoms

Health

Confounding Variables:

Alzheimer Disease presence

No theoretical framework found.

This study is exploratory in nature. This study was conducted over a five year period which shows that the study is longitudinal in nature.

Main objective of the study was to explore whether caregiver's stress and personal mastery co-vary with health and depression symptoms over time or not.

Sample size

Sample size of the study was 130 spousal caregivers of persons suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

Sampling method:

Samples were selected based on convenience based sampling method. 130 samples were selected from old age group having age of at least 55 years. Participants were also screened on the basis of presence or absence of medical problems. Participants in the study were examined on equal intervals of one year in their homes for five years.

Sample characteristics:

Participants were required to be at least 55 years old. Additionally, all participants did not have serious medical conditions problems. Average age of all participants included in the study was 72.8 years in year 1. 71% of the participants were female in year 1.

92% participants belonged to Caucasian group; however, 8% participants were from Non-Caucasian group.

Data Sources

Procedures

Data Analysis

Results/Findings

Recommendations

Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression was used to assess the depressive symptoms using the 17-item statements. Ratings were given to the statements based on 0-2 or 0-4 point scale for each of the 17 items.

Higher rating represents higher scores which show presence of greater depressive symptoms.

In order to assess the multiple stressors experienced by caregivers, Pearlin Role Overload scale was taken from global self-report measure of stress.

Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale provided information about the cognitive functioning of care recipient.

Scale comprised of Likert-type statements measuring the presence or absence of dementia on 0 = no dementia to 4 = severe dementia scale.

Semi-structured interview were conducted using the Interim Medical History questionnaire (IMED) by nurse for assessment of caregiver health symptoms.

Questions were asked from caregivers regarding whether they experienced health-related symptoms or not during the past six months. The interview focused on assessing the presence of 14 major systems (e.g. ears, throat, eyes, nose, and chest).

The scores were totaled to determine overall health score; where high scores represented worse health condition.

Linear mixed-effects regression models technique was used to evaluate the HAM-D and IMED scores over five years period.

Square root of raw scores techniques was applied on IMED scores due to presence of skewness in the data.

In order to ensure correspondence between dependent variable with respect to mastery scores and linear score of variable overload z-score transformation was done to the variables score data.

Results indicated that when level of overload decrease or mastery level increase, significant impact occurs on reduction in depressive symptoms.

Results also showed that the level of mastery had a conditional impact on the relationship between depression and ...