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Acute family stress in this article is defined as the sudden or unexpected onset of moderate to severe discomfort or disequilibrium and feeling of inadequacy among family members in light of perceived insufficient available resources. Historically, there has been some ambivalence about stress—especially acute stress—and family life education. More recently, authors have suggested that the important issue determining appropriateness is not the topic but the approach used by the professionals. Several approaches are presented here that have been used by professionals to help children and families dealing with acute stress. They include care for self, identify acute stress, support caregivers and central figures in social networks, help families understand stress and coping, help adults talk with children, connect families with the familiar, collaborate with other professionals, and advocate for families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States and using the stress process model, this study compared caregiving parents and caregiving adult children with regard to health outcomes. The study sample consisted of 74 caregiving parents and 219 caregiving adult children. Predictors included type of family relationship, provision of activities of daily living, duration of caregiving, and family demands. Social support did not mediate the relations between significant predictor variables and health outcomes. The type of family relationship was associated with health outcomes with caregiving parents demonstrating poorer self-perceived health and more chronic conditions than caregiving adult children. Perceived family demands were associated with increased number of chronic conditions for caregiving adult children and caregiving parents. Unlike previous studies that measured objective family demands, perceived family demands was found to have a strong association with the number of chronic health conditions for both groups of caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For older adults who have experienced early life trauma, the aging process can be particularly challenging as resources, abilities, and environments change. Although researchers have documented these challenges well, few studies have examined the experiences of family caregivers to older adults who have endured early life trauma. In this qualitative study, the researchers interviewed 17 family caregivers to Holocaust survivors. Content analysis revealed themes typical of caregiving, including stress, filial piety, and guilt; however, these themes appeared to be amplified by the early life trauma endured by the older adults. Caregivers were also reluctant to seek assistance, as they compared their own stress with the incomparable stress endured by the Holocaust survivors. The findings provide an understanding of the specific challenges faced by family caregivers to older adults who have experienced early life trauma and hold important implications for health care professionals who work with these groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of the relationship between individuals with dementia and their family caregivers has an impact on important clinical outcomes for both. It is unclear, however, how quality of relationship (QoR) affects caregivers' desire to place their relative in a nursing home. We examined the association of QoR with caregivers' desire to institutionalize (DTI), using a sample of 237 male and female caregivers of community-dwelling individuals with dementia. Findings revealed an interaction between QoR and caregiver gender, with stronger DTI significantly associated with lower QoR for male but not female caregivers. Health care providers should recognize poor QoR as a risk factor for institutionalization, especially among male caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]