Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research | 2021
The Relationship Between Religious Attendance, Private Prayer, Religious Coping, Social Support, and Caregiver Burden in Dementia Caregivers
Abstract
82 COPYRIGHT 2021 BY PSI CHI, THE INTERNATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY IN PSYCHOLOGY (VOL. 26, NO. 2/ISSN 2325-7342) *Faculty mentor As the world’s population continues to grow, and medical advancements aid in the treatment of previously fatal illnesses, individuals are living longer (Crimmins, 2015; Semenova & Stadtlander, 2016). With advanced age comes a higher likelihood that an individual will experience cognitive decline (Aartsen et al., 2002; Fritsch et al., 2005). Recent findings showed that, globally, the number of individuals who experienced cognitive decline in 2016 was 43.8 million (Global Burden of Disease [GBD] 2016 Dementia Collaborators, 2019). In 2016, 4,029,450 United States citizens suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease or other dementias (GBD 2016 Dementia Collaborators, 2019). Due to the increase in lifespan, the increase in global population, and improved detection since 1990, there was an increase in the prevalence of cognitive decline (1.7%), making dementia the fifth leading cause of death globally in 2016 (GBD 2016 Dementia Collaborators, 2019). The decline in cognitive functioning caused by memory disorders can cause a loss in self-identity and an increased dependence on others to perform instrumental activities of daily living (Canonici et al., 2012). Patients with memory disorders are not the only ones who suffer; many family members of the patient are also affected (GBD 2016 Dementia Collaborators, 2019). In addition to witnessing the decline in their loved one, these family members often serve as informal (or unpaid) caregivers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2018). As an individual with declining cognitive functioning becomes more dependent, ABSTRACT. Living longer increases the risk of cognitive decline, which can cause individuals to become dependent on caregivers. Due to the stressful nature of caregiving, caregiver burden often negatively impacts the quality of life of caregivers and can even cause premature death. In the present study, we examined the relationships between caregiver burden and social support, religious coping, religious attendance, and participation in private prayer. We hypothesized that each variable would contribute uniquely to caregiver burden, such that greater caregiver burden would be associated with lower religious attendance, private prayer, religious coping, and social support. Fifty-nine dementia/Alzheimer’s caregivers (72% women) completed surveys. In a multiple linear regression analysis, variables explained 24.4% of the variance in caregiver burden, R 2 = .24, Adj. R 2 = .14, F(7, 49) = 2.26, p = .04. Further examination revealed that lower family support was related to greater caregiver burden (β = −.28, p = .04), consistent with predictions. Counter to our hypothesis, greater participation in private prayer was related to higher levels of caregiver burden, but only at the trend level (β = .39, p = .06). Our data suggest that social support, particularly from family members, can help caregivers burdened from the stressful nature of caregiving.