Preference Importance Ratings among African American and White Nursing Home Residents

The Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory (PELI-NH) assesses psychosocial preferences of nursing home (NH) residents. This study explored the association of race with importance ratings of self-dominion preferences (i.e., preferences for control).

PELI-NH interviews were conducted with 250 NH residents. Tests of mean differences compared African American (n = 57) and White (n = 193) residents on demographic (age, gender, education, length of stay) and clinical attributes (self-rated health, depressive symptoms, anxiety, functional limitations, hearing, vision, cognition). Stepwise multiple regression accounted first for associations of demographic and clinical attributes then for the unique association of race with total importance of self-dominion preferences to determine whether African American and White residents differ. For between group demographic/clinical differences, interaction effects were tested.

African Americans were younger and more functionally impaired. After accounting for the effects of gender (female), age (younger), anxiety (greater), and functional impairment (less) with higher reports of importance of self-dominion preferences, race was significant. There were no significant moderating effects.

African American residents reported greater importance of self-dominion preferences than Whites.

Cultural sensitivity is critical; it may be more important to provide opportunities for autonomous decision-making for African American than for White residents.