Alzheimer?s disease and related dementias (ADRD) are an increasing public health concern, currently affecting more than 5 million US adults and about 3 million of their spousal caregivers. The parent K01 grant (NIA K01 AG059829) is centered on understanding mutual influences among couples living with early-stage ADRD in their daily stress, self-care, and well-being. In response to NOT-AG-20-022: NIA Availability of Administrative Supplements and Revision Supplements on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the proposed administrative supplement will address the immediate and time-sensitive needs of couples living with early-stage ADRD that were unanticipated by the parent grant. In line with the NIA research interests stated in NOT-AG-20-022, this project will evaluate how social distancing impacts the care and well-being of persons living with ADRD. This project will conduct baseline phone interviews and 7 days of daily phone interviews with 40 community-dwelling couples living with early-stage ADRD to determine: 1) how the pandemic has affected daily experiences and their links to daily coping within care dyads; 2) how social distancing has impacted the spousal care relationship and its links to daily coping within care dyads during the pandemic; and 3) how psychosocial resources (self-efficacy, individual and dyadic coping, overall social support and strain, and loneliness) moderate these associations. This administrative supplement will build on the third K01 training aim to develop expertise in intensive repeated measures designs to examine daily stress and well-being within care dyads. The proposed supplement will also build on two of the K01 research aims:
Aim 1 to examine the links among own and partner reports of daily stressors, self-care, and well-being dyads;
and Aim 3 to identify which individuals and couples are more or less resilient by evaluating how psychosocial resources moderate these associations. This project will advance knowledge of the multifaceted ways that major chronic stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic may affect the spousal care relationship. As the nation prepares for a second potential surge of COVID-19 in the Fall/Winter of 2020, the findings will also inform targeted public health strategies to improve and sustain the long-term well-being of an especially vulnerable subgroup of older adults.
The parent K01 grant (NIA K01 AG059829) is focused on mutual influences among couples living with early-stage Alzheimer?s disease and related dementias (ADRD) in their daily stress, self-care, and well-being. The proposed administrative supplement will address the immediate and time-sensitive needs that were unanticipated by the parent grant by collecting data from couples living with early-stage ADRD to consider: 1) how the pandemic has affected daily experiences and their links to daily coping within care dyads; 2) how social distancing has impacted the spousal care relationship and its links to daily coping within care dyads during the pandemic; and 3) how psychosocial resources (self-efficacy, individual and dyadic coping, overall social support and strain, and loneliness) moderate these associations. As the nation prepares for a second potential surge of COVID-19 in the Fall/Winter of 2020, the findings will inform targeted public health strategies to maintain the well-being of an especially vulnerable subgroup of older adults during the current pandemic and in future health crises.
