The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #65419

Marie Mayen-Cho, MPH, Richard G. Wight, PhD, Dana Miller-Martinez, MPH, and Carol S. Aneshensel, PhD. Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, 650 Charles E. Young Drive South, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, 310-794-9756, mayencho@ucla.edu

Midlife and older women are traditionally called upon to provide assistance to family members in need, but little is known about their specific role in providing care to family members with HIV. As difficult as it is to cope with the physical and emotional demands of providing care for loved ones, the resulting disruption in other areas of caregivers’ (CG) lives may be equally distressing. This NIMH-funded study assesses stress and health in an ethnically diverse sample of midlife and older women providing care to a son or spouse with HIV, with a special emphasis on how Latino caregiving dyads (monolingual Spanish or bilingual English/Spanish) compare to non-Latino caregiving dyads. Interviews were administered to both the (CG) and person living with HIV (PLH), in either English or Spanish. Of 125 respondents, 33% self-identified as Latino. Both parties were questioned about financial concerns, health status, and types of support services received. The resources available to assist caregivers and PLH and the benefits of providing care were also examined. The findings demonstrate that compared to non-Latino caregivers, Latina caregivers are more likely to be mothers caring for a son, and are less likely to access support services. Barriers to support service use include language, poor health status, low income and low education. The need for more culturally appropriate interventions and research to address support and assistance needed by Latino caregivers and PLH is discussed.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to:
• identify and describe how social and cultural issues impact the health of Latino HIV/AIDS caregivers.
• Participants will be able to identify and describe unique socialcultural stressors that distinguish persons living with HIV and their families.
• Participants will be able to increase their understanding of the physical and emotional demands of providing care for people living with HIV.

Keywords: Caregivers, Hispanic

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.