In the United States, there are 47.9 million caregivers providing care to family members with disabilities. Those providing care to someone... Show moreIn the United States, there are 47.9 million caregivers providing care to family members with disabilities. Those providing care to someone who has Parkinson’s Disease (PD), a complex degenerative movement disorder, may have a unique caregiving experience, given that disease-related factors (e.g. motor and non-motor symptoms) can contribute to worsening caregiver burden and life satisfactions (LS). PD has an increasing incidence of 90,000 new cases per year, likely resulting in an increased need for caregivers. Caregiving research frequently focuses on the mediators between caregiver burden and LS including social support, coping skills, and appraisals. Research that has specifically focused on caregivers of people with PD (Pw/PD) is significantly limited. Hope is a “positive motivational characteristic comprised of agency and pathways thinking that can help facilitate drive towards one’s goal while also serving as a buffer against negative events” (Snyder et al.,1991). The goal of this study is to understand Snyder’s hope theory as it relates to caregiver burden and LS for caregivers of Pw/PD. Specifically, we hypothesized that (a) caregiver burden will be negatively correlated with agency thinking, pathways thinking, and LS among caregivers of Pw/PD. In addition, pathways thinking, and agency thinking will be positively associated with LS, and (b) agency thinking, and pathways thinking will mediate the relationship between caregiver burden and LS among caregivers of Pw/PD. The study sample consisted of 249 caregivers of Pw/PD who completed an online anonymous questionnaire. Correlations between agency and pathways thinking, LS, caregiver burden, and sociodemographic factors were evaluated. A parallel mediation analysis was run to evaluate the mediating roles of pathways and agency thinking in the relationship between caregiver burden and LS. Results indicated that LS was significantly and negatively correlated with caregiver burden. LS was significantly and positively correlated with both pathways and agency thinking. Pathways thinking had no indirect effect on the relationship of caregiver burden on LS. Agency thinking had a negative, indirect effect on the relationship suggesting that agency thinking partially mediated the relationship between caregiver burden and LS. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed. Show less
