Abstract

Objectives

Older adults providing unpaid care to a relative or friend during the COVID-19 pandemic may have diminished self-efficacy in managing their own chronic illness, especially in the context of more complex self-management. We evaluated whether adults aged 50 and older with caregiving roles are more likely to report reduced illness self-efficacy since the pandemic, and whether this link is exacerbated by a higher number of conditions.

Methods

Participants (105 caregivers and 590 noncaregivers) residing in Michigan (82.6%) and 33 other U.S. states completed one online survey between May 14 and July 9, 2020.

Results

Controlling for sociodemographic and health characteristics, stressors related to COVID-19, and behavioral and psychosocial changes since the pandemic, caregivers were more likely than noncaregivers to report reduced illness self-efficacy when they had a higher number of chronic conditions.

Conclusion

These findings highlight the importance of maintaining caregivers’ self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic and in future public health crises.

中文翻译：

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患有慢性病的老年人在 COVID-19 大流行期间的照顾者状况和疾病自我效能

摘要

目标

在 COVID-19 大流行期间为亲戚或朋友提供无偿护理的老年人可能会降低管理自己慢性病的自我效能，尤其是在更复杂的自我管理背景下。我们评估了 50 岁及以上担任照料角色的成年人自大流行以来是否更有可能报告疾病自我效能下降，以及这种联系是否因更多情况而加剧。

方法

居住在密歇根州 (82.6%) 和美国其他 33 个州的参与者（105 名看护者和 590 名非看护者）在 2020 年 5 月 14 日至 7 月 9 日期间完成了一项在线调查。

结果

控制社会人口学和健康特征、与 COVID-19 相关的压力源以及自大流行以来的行为和社会心理变化后，护理人员比非护理人员更有可能在慢性病数量较多时报告疾病自我效能降低。

结论

这些发现强调了在 COVID-19 大流行期间和未来的公共卫生危机中保持护理人员自我护理的重要性。