ABSTRACT

In addition to health and financial burdens, family caregivers can experience stress in their romantic relationships. Relational turbulence theory (RTT) is used to understand how family caregivers and caregivers’ romantic partners navigate relational transitions and caregiver burden when one partner is providing informal care to another aging family member. Three hundred and nineteen participants, who were either the romantic partner providing care or the romantic partner of a family caregiver, completed an online survey. Tests of RTT and caregiver burden revealed that relational uncertainty, partner facilitation, and relational turbulence were related to caregiver burden as predicted for family caregivers; relational uncertainty was unrelated to caregiver burden for romantic partners. Partner interference was unrelated to caregiver burden. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

摘要

除了健康和经济负担外，家庭照顾者还会在他们的恋爱关系中承受压力。关系湍流理论 (RTT) 用于了解当一个伴侣为另一位年迈的家庭成员提供非正式护理时，家庭照顾者和照顾者的浪漫伴侣如何应对关系转变和照顾者负担。三百一十九名参与者，他们要么是提供护理的浪漫伴侣，要么是家庭照顾者的浪漫伴侣，完成了一项在线调查。RTT 和照顾者负担的测试表明，关系的不确定性、伴侣的促进和关系的动荡与家庭照顾者预测的照顾者负担有关；关系不确定性与浪漫伴侣的照顾者负担无关。伴侣干预与照顾者负担无关。