African American Family Caregivers' Experiences and Mental Health: A Convergent Mixed-Methods Study

Caregiving in the African American community is informed by strong cultural expectations but may be associated with negative experiences and poor mental health outcomes.

The purpose of this convergent mixed-methods study is to understand the relationship between caregiving experiences and mental health and explore stress management strategies in African American family caregivers of adults with chronic or disabling conditions.

African American family caregivers (N = 100) were recruited using community-engaged methods and completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Caregiver Reaction Assessment scale, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D-10) Scale. A subsample (n = 24) participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using linear regression and content analysis. A matrix was developed to integrate quantitative and qualitative results.

Participants were on average 59 years old. Most were women and provided care to a parent. Lack of family support (B = 1.37, P = .03) and impact of caregiving on caregivers' finances (B = 1.74, P = .004), schedule (B = 2.92, P < .001), and health (B = 3.26, P < .001) were associated with depressive symptoms and were reported as stressful experiences. Negative interactions with the care recipient and caring for multiple people emerged as other sources of stress. Participants used independent and interpersonal coping strategies, as well as strategies to facilitate their caregiving role to reduce their stress. Values of reciprocity, limited use of community-based resources, and mental health stigma emerged as important cultural considerations.

Our findings suggest the need for culturally-sensitive interventions to improve communication and care coordination within African American family caregiving networks and educational programs about mental health and caregiving resources endorsed by trusted community sources.