Daily Caregiving Appraisals, Future Self-Views, and Physical Activity Goals Among Adult-Daughter Dementia Caregivers

2023  Journal Article

Daily Caregiving Appraisals, Future Self-Views, and Physical Activity Goals Among Adult-Daughter Dementia Caregivers

Pub TLDR

This study examines the relationship between daily caregiving appraisals, how caregivers perceive their future selves, and their physical activity goals.

Understanding the interplay between caregiving appraisals, future self-views, and goal-setting can inform strategies to help caregivers maintain their physical health, which is crucial for their ability to provide care and for their own long-term well-being.

DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbad119    PubMed ID: 37589471
 

College of Health researcher(s)

Abstract

Objectives

Caregiving dynamics may shape caregivers’ views on their own aging in ways that affect their (de)motivation to improve their current and future health and well-being. In this study, we investigated within-person associations of daily positive and negative caregiving appraisals, future self-views (physical functioning, cognitive, and overall health domains), and physical activity goal pursuit among adult-daughter dementia caregivers.

Methods

Data came from 33 middle-aged caregivers (M = 55.03) who participated in a 30-day microlongitudinal study of caregiving (N of occasions = 855). We used multilevel modeling to analyze within-person associations.

Results

Daily positive caregiving appraisals were not associated with daily future self-views. However, on days when caregivers reported higher negative caregiving appraisals, they thought more negatively about their future older selves in all domains. In turn, on days when caregivers thought more negatively about their future older selves in all domains, they reported lower physical activity goal pursuit. Future self-views in all domains mediated the association between negative caregiving appraisals and physical activity goal pursuit. Future self-views did not mediate the association between positive caregiving appraisals and physical activity goal pursuit. However, cognitive future self-views moderated the association between positive caregiving appraisals and physical activity goal pursuit.

Discussion

Results suggest that one pathway through which subjective caregiving experiences, especially negative caregiving appraisals, affect caregivers’ physical activity goal pursuit is through future self-views. Thus, this study offers a deeper theoretical understanding of caregivers’ self-regulatory health behavior and new empirical information on how caregiving might affect life-span developmental motivation.

Turner, S.G., Hooker, K., Chandler, K.D., Settersten, R.A., Stawski, R.S. (2023) Daily Caregiving Appraisals, Future Self-Views, and Physical Activity Goals Among Adult-Daughter Dementia CaregiversThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences78(11)