David A. Chiriboga, Ph.D. - US grants

Our purpose wil be to investigate adult children's reactions to their elderly parents' needs for aid and support. It is widely recognized that adult children with dependent parents typically experience conflict between competing obligations and goals. Given the ongoing needs of their own conjugal families and prior commitments to themselves, the needs of an ill or frail parent may create or exacerbate a condition of multiple demands for the children's time, energy, money and emotional support. This research will examine the stresses and strains imposed by the presence of a parent with Alzheimer's Disease, the effect of these stresses and strains upon family process, factors which mediate this effect, and how adult children and their parents attempt to resolve the problems. The research design and questions are guided by three distinct but potentially overlapping theoretical models; those of social exchange, social justice and social stress. The two wave panel study will draw on persons residing in the Central Valley Region of California. The target or "index" respondents will be elderly clients from three service agencies and one self-help association whose catchment area spans six counties. Interviews will be conducted with 200 families, with respondents consisteing of one dependent parent and two siblings per family. The spouse of each sibling will also be administered an abbreviated interview and questionnaire. Similar data will be collected for all respondents six months after the initial contact. These follow up contacts will provide critical information concerning the consequences of prior attitudes, perceived relations, stress loads, and the way prior attitudes and relations among family members interact with discrepancies in perception of one another's costs, contributions, and motives. Overall, the information provided by this study will contribute not only to a basis understanding of the way in which families attempt to help each other under conditions of chronic strain, but will have immediate relevance for intervention programs designed to assist the informal support network of the aged.

The overall objective of the Demonstration and Information Dissemination Core (DIDC) is to build bridges across the continuum between basic research, applied research, clinical practice/interventions, and the general population. The specific aims that work in combination to achieve this overall objective include: 1) Translate state of the art research findings into language useful to the practitioner and consumer. 2) Provide formal coursework to students in the health professions. 3) Provide continuing education programs and credit to health professionals. 4) Provide consumer education programs 5) Plan and implement conference programming that will disseminate research findings to practitioners. Research findings that provide the content for dissemination will draw on those obtained from OAIC-sponsored activities but will also draw on the general research literature. The target audiences will consist of students and practitioners in the health professions, as well as older Americans and their families. Four themes will underlie operation of the DIDC. The first theme is the enhancement of efforts to improve the health and independence of minority elderly, with a particular focus upon three groups: African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Vietnamese Americans. The second theme is to extend the score and magnitude of dissemination activities by partnering with existing programs. The third theme is the use of new technologies to make DIDC products more readily accessible by health professionals and a lay audience. The fourth theme is the incorporation of rigorous performance outcome evaluations for all DIDC activities.