Measuring the Experience and Perception of Suffering

Autor/inn/en	Schulz, Richard; Monin, Joan K.; Czaja, Sara J.; Lingler, Jennifer H.; Beach, Scott R.; Martire, Lynn M.; Dodds, Angela; Hebert, Randy S.; Zdaniuk, Bozena; Cook, Thomas B.
Titel	Measuring the Experience and Perception of Suffering
Quelle	In: Gerontologist, 50 (2010) 6, S.774-784 (11 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0016-9013
DOI	10.1093/geront/gnq033
Schlagwörter	Alzheimers Disease; Health; Quality of Life; Caregivers; Diseases; Validity; Psychometrics; Depression (Psychology); Older Adults; Spouses; African Americans; Hispanic Americans; Family (Sociological Unit); Interviews; Correlation + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Gesundheit; Lebensqualität; Caregiver; Carer; Betreuungsperson; Pfleger; Disease; Krankheit; Gültigkeit; Psychometry; Psychometrie; Älterer Erwachsener; Ehepartner; Afroamerikaner; Hispanic; Hispanoamerikaner; Familie; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Korrelation
Abstract	Purpose: Assess psychometric properties of scales developed to assess experience and perception of physical, psychological, and existential suffering in older individuals. Design and Methods: Scales were administered to 3 populations of older persons and/or their family caregivers: individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their family caregivers (N = 105 dyads), married couples in whom 1 partner had osteoarthritis (N = 53 dyads), and African American and Hispanic caregivers of care recipients with AD (N = 121). Care recipients rated their own suffering, whereas caregivers provided ratings of perceived suffering of their respective care recipients. In addition, quality of life, health, and functional status data were collected from all respondents via structured in-person interviews. Results: Three scales showed high levels of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. The scales were able to discriminate differences in suffering as a function of type of disease, demonstrated high intra-person correlations and moderately high inter-person correlations and exhibited predicted patterns of association between each type of suffering and indicators of quality of life, health status, and caregiver outcomes of depression and burden. Implications: Suffering is an important but understudied domain. This article provides valuable tools for assessing the experience and perception of suffering in humans. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Oxford University Press. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, UK. Tel: +44-1865-353907; Fax: +44-1865-353485; e-mail: jnls.cust.serv@oxfordjournals.org; Web site: http://gerontologist.oxfordjournals.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10