# MENTAL HEALTH OF CAREGIVERS OF THE ELDERLY--DAY CARE USE

> **NIH NIH R01** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · 1992 · $422,784

## Abstract

The proposed study represents a collaboration of university-based
researchers and the Gerontology Program of the New Jersey Department of
Health.  The overall goal is to assess the benefits of day care services
for family caregivers of older people with dementing illnesses.  A
secondary objective is to study patterns of service use.  While an
extensive literature documents the stressfulness of caring for a frail
older person, relatively little research has investigated the benefits
and drawbacks of various interventions for family members.  In
particular, day care and respite services have been proposed as a
critical link in community-based long-term care, but evidence of benefits
for the mental health and well-being of caregivers is limited.  Drawing
upon a general stress process model, we will investigate the proposed
mechanisms by which respite is expected to benefit caregivers.
Specifically, we expect that day care will affect the amount of time
caregivers have available for other activities, which should result in
changes in caregivers' appraisals of stressors and overall well-being.  A
quasi-experimental design will be used. Experimental subjects will be 200
principal family caregivers of dementia patients participating in a New
Jersey program of day care, which provides extensive subsidies for the
cost of services.  A control sample matched on key variables (kin
relationship which includes gender, living arrangements, race, and SES)
will be drawn from a comparable population in another state in which day
care subsidies are not widely available.  Subjects will be evaluated at 3
points in time: prior to day care (or baseline for controls), 3 months,
and 1 year.  Data analysis will include repeated measures ANCOVA and
model testing to determine the effects of the provision and amount of
respite on caregivers' appraisals of stressors and well-being.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3123300
- **Project number:** 1R01AG011354-01
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
- **SAM.gov UEI:** NPM2J7MSCF61
- **Principal Investigator:** STEVEN H ZARIT
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1992
- **Award amount:** $422,784
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 1992-08-15 → 1997-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3123300

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3123300, MENTAL HEALTH OF CAREGIVERS OF THE ELDERLY--DAY CARE USE (1R01AG011354-01). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3123300. Licensed CC0.

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