Comparison Of African American And Caucasian Caregiver Self-Efficacy

Self-effi cacy infl uences one\u27s behavior and can determine the degree to which one is motivated to take action. The current study explores changes in caregiver self-effi cacy pre- and post-participation in a Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer\u27s Caregiver Health (REACH II) program, a multi-component intervention aimed at caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer\u27s disease. The study specifi cally compared this construct in African American and Caucasian populations, which may give indications of how to empower dementia caregivers and whether REACH II is culturally sensitive and thus, an important component to examine. Nurses are the connection between families and community resources and must serve as referral sources to programs that work. Although African American and Caucasian caregivers showed comparable rates of increase in self-effi cacy, African American caregivers started and ended at higher rates of self-effi cacy for obtaining respite and overall self-effi cacy. Applications of the results and directions for future research are discussed