照顧者負荷—以結構公式模式探討

The burden produced by caring for relatives with dementia is an increasing problem in Taiwan necessitating a better understanding of the interrelationships of the factors that influence burden. The purpose of this study was to test a theoretical model specifying how the demands of care, filial oblige- tion, caregiving self-efficacy, coping strategies, and caregiving involvement affect caregiver burden. A descriptive cross-sectional design with a convenience sample of 150 caregivers and care-reveiver dyads from outpatient dinics of three hospitals in Taiwan was used. The original model did not fit the data well but monor re-specifications produced a good model as avidenced by an X^(2)/df ratio of 2.1, a goodness-of-fit index of .89, and a comparative fit index of .93. Demands of care on the caregiver and filial obligation had direct positive effects on caregiving involvement. Caregiving involvement and emotion-focused coping had direct positive effects on caregiving burdn. Filial obligation, caregiving self-efficacy, and problem-focused coping had direct negative iffects on caregiving burden. Six of the seven original hypothesized structural relationships were confirmed in the final model. The Burden Model tested in this study corroborates findings from other burden studies and extends our knowledge of caregiver burden. Filial obligation, self-efficacy, demands of care involvement in care, and coping were shown to predict burden in this sample of Taiwanese caregivers.