Increasing Family Members Appreciation of Family Caregiving Stress

Participants read a message discussing the duties of a typical family care-giver (for example, a woman taking care of her elderly mother) and the associated psy­chological, physical, social, and financial stresses. The message was accompanied by an appeal that was either a control or was altruistic (other-oriented: focusing on the moth­ er/caregiverʹs well-being) or egoistic (self-oriented: focusing on the child of the caregiv­erʹs needs and feelings). Participants who received an altruistic appeal were more appre­ciative of caregiving stresses than were those given an egoistic or a control appeal. Increasing family membersʹ awareness of the stress involved in family caregiving is a first step in encouraging them to personally intervene on behalf of the caregiver.