Validating the Psychosocial Functioning during COVID-19 Questionnaire among a Sample of Informal Caregivers

Arnold, Trisha; Kunicki, Zachary J.; Rogers, Brooke G.; Haubrick, Kayla K; Klasko-Foster, Lynne; Drohan, Megan M.; Greaney, Mary L.; Cohen, Steven A.

doi:10.1177/2333721421997200

Cited by 4 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Generally, emerging scales designed to assess pandemic caregiver burden primarily focus on anxiety, severe stress, and changes in daily routines [24] . Most notably, the Embracing Carers ® organization uses the Carer Well-Being Index to examine various impacts of the pandemic on unpaid, informal caregivers across the globe, encompassing mental, emotional, physical, and financial health [30] .…”

Section: Figure 1 Diagram Displaying Search Methods and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figure 1 Diagram Displaying Search Methods and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In other efforts, researchers developed the first scale to assess overall psychosocial functioning among informal caregivers specifically during the pandemic [24] . This scale, the Psychosocial Functioning during COVID-19 (PFC-19) Questionnaire, measures changes in mental health, social interaction, health behaviors, and functioning attributed to the pandemic [24] . Fourteen items assess functioning, or the ability to execute normal activities of daily living (ADLs), with eight remaining items to measure emotional responses and coping strategies impacted by the pandemic [24] .…”

Section: Figure 1 Diagram Displaying Search Methods and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This scale, the Psychosocial Functioning during COVID-19 (PFC-19) Questionnaire, measures changes in mental health, social interaction, health behaviors, and functioning attributed to the pandemic [24] . Fourteen items assess functioning, or the ability to execute normal activities of daily living (ADLs), with eight remaining items to measure emotional responses and coping strategies impacted by the pandemic [24] . The PFC-19 was validated in an initial online study (N=733) in which nearly 70% of participants were male; 83% were employed full-time; and 66% had been providing care over a relatively short term of one month to two years [24] .…”

Section: Figure 1 Diagram Displaying Search Methods and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…have not yet been thoroughly examined as the pandemic still spans a relatively recent period. Considering this timing, few existing measures have been designed and implemented specifically to assess the psychological, social, and mental health impacts of the pandemic among informal caregivers [24,25] .…”

Section: Assessment Of Caregiver Burdenmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Informal Caregivers in the US

2021

IJOAR

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Background: Caregiver burden has negative effects on mental and physical health along with quality of life. Meanwhile, social and physical distancing protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic have created additional impacts on informal caregiving in a rapidly changing environment. Early research over the past year suggests that the pandemic has caused increased caregiver burden as well as caregiving intensity among these individuals. Purpose: Our primary purpose in this informational literature review is to describe the impacts of the pandemic on informal caregiver burden and the sudden shift in roles and responsibilities as a result of pandemic-related changes in caregiving. This review will describe emerging effects on various aspects of health among informal caregivers and explore the growing need to support unpaid caregiving during this time. Methods: A streamlined search was conducted to fit the scope of this review, with key terms determined to identify relevant publications. Common research databases and up-to-date mainstream resources were utilized. Notably, we focused on research published or released since March 2020, primarily rapidly reviewed studies, to align with the timing of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Results: Early research suggests that the pandemic has worsened caregiver burden and increased caregiving intensity and hours of care among unpaid, informal family caregivers. Reported health impacts include higher stress, pain, and depression, along with decreased social connectedness and quality of life. Notably, however, COVID-related research generally does not focus on the positive aspects of caregiving, such as its role as a source of purpose in life, creating an opportunity to explore ways to boost certain valuable personal resources among caregivers. Conclusions: Informal family caregivers face their own negative health outcomes and distress as a result of greater caregiver burden, intensity, and the changing landscape of caregiving during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Immediate policy and support recommendations should be considered to alleviate informal caregiver burden and provide ongoing resources over the longer term. In addition, future work should explore the potential of boosting positive resources such as resilience and purpose to ease caregiver burden.

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Section: Figure 1 Diagram Displaying Search Methods and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figure 1 Diagram Displaying Search Methods and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figure 1 Diagram Displaying Search Methods and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figure 1 Diagram Displaying Search Methods and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Assessment Of Caregiver Burdenmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Informal Caregivers in the US

2021

IJOAR

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Stress, social support, and substance use in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whittaker¹,

Kingston²

2022

Translational Issues in Psychological Science

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The present study investigated the relationships between stress, social support, loneliness, and substance use behaviors using the COVID-19 pandemic as a model. Participants (N = 185, Mage = 36.9, SDage = 5.87) were screened to be above the age of 21 and to have consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months and were asked to complete an online survey in February of 2021. Survey responses were analyzed to assess the hypothesized moderating effects of social support and loneliness on the Tension Reduction Theory’s proposed relationship between perceived stress and substance use. Results demonstrated several negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, namely increased loneliness and perceived stress related to pandemic-specific stressors. Social support was negatively related to pandemic stress while loneliness and pandemic stress were positively related. Contradicting study hypotheses, negative binomial regression results indicated that increased pandemic stress did not predict alcohol consumption; on the other hand, loneliness was unexpectedly shown to predict fewer days-per-month alcohol use. This pattern of results suggests that more sophisticated multivariate models may be more appropriate to predict and model substance use than reductionistic theories of self-medication. Particularly given the unique contextual factors of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that substance use behaviors vary as functions of their social context. Pandemic factors that may have deterred greater alcohol use are discussed.

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