Emotional well-being and self-perceived physical health over time among African American and White male caregivers of older adults

This study is a longitudinal, secondary data analysis of the Family Relations in Late Life (FRILL) 2 study. Using the Pearlin stress process model (SPM) as a guide, the purpose of this study was to examine emotional well-being and self-reported physical health over 36 months among African American and White male caregivers of older adults living in the community. A two-level Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM) was used to predict changes over time for anger, anxiety, depressed affect, resentment, and self-reported physical health and examined the influence of race and constructs suggested by the Pearlin SPM. Race was not a significant predictor of any of the outcome variables, suggesting that African American and White male caregivers are similar in their responses to the demands of caregiving and that these responses remain relatively stable over time. Mutual communal behavior, activity restriction, and perceived social support were significant predictors of outcomes over time. Caregivers who reported higher mutually communal behavior reported less anxiety and resentment and better health over time. Greater activity restriction was linked to more anger, anxiety, depressed affect, and resentment over time, and more perceived social l support was linked to less depressed affect and resentment over time. These findings are consistent with previous research showing that increased social isolation and lack of support from family and friends contributes to negative emotional well-being. Further, these deficits may have a cumulative effect over time for both African American and White male caregivers.Poster Presentatio