| The proportion of people 65 years of age and older in the U.S. population is increasing as a result of decreased fertility rates and increased longevity. Without major medical breakthroughs, an increase in the number of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other age-related dementias is expected. This older population also is becoming increasingly diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, and cultural background. Across these diverse groups, family care will continue to be the first and for some the only choice for providing care to an older person with dementia. However, the demographic shift of population aging means there will be fewer potential family caregivers available to dependent elders. Further, caring for a loved one with dementia has been found to be particularly stressful and burdensome to many caregivers. Therefore, it is critical to gain better understanding of dementia family caregiving among ethnoracially diverse groups to help protect caregivers from adverse effects of stress and ensure that older persons with dementia are receiving the best care possible.; Guided by stress process theory (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), this study examined dementia family caregivers from three ethnoracial groups---Caucasian (n = 691), African American (n = 295), and Hispanic (n = 232). Information on these caregivers came from the baseline data of the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregivers Health study (Schulz et al., 1996--2001). Several statistical procedures, including cluster analysis, stepwise regression, hierarchical regression, and structural equation modeling, were used to better understand the stress process among these caregivers and the usefulness of each of the procedures for examining dementia family caregiving across diverse groups.; Findings show that cluster analysis and stepwise regression are not appropriate techniques for assessing the stress process among caregivers. Hierarchical regression and structural equation modeling were both well suited for examining the stress process among ethnoracially diverse caregivers. Findings from these procedures show that the stress process is operating similarly across the groups. For all three ethnoracial groups of caregivers, primary appraisal of stress had a direct influence on depressive symptoms and anxiety. In addition, the effect of primary appraisal of stress on depressive symptoms and anxiety was partially mediated by secondary appraisals of stress, including social support, religiosity, and life satisfaction. |
