TitleMeasuring the experience and perception of suffering.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2010
AuthorsSchulz, R, Monin, JK, Czaja, SJ, Lingler, JH, Beach, SR, Martire, LM, Dodds, A, Hebert, RS, Zdaniuk, B, Cook, TB
JournalGerontologist
Volume50
Issue6
Pagination774-84
Date Published2010 Dec
ISSN1758-5341
KeywordsAdaptation, Psychological, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alzheimer Disease, Caregivers, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Female, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Osteoarthritis, Perception, Predictive Value of Tests, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychometrics, Quality of Life, Reproducibility of Results, Stress, Psychological, Surveys and Questionnaires, United States
Abstract

<p><b>PURPOSE: </b>assess psychometric properties of scales developed to assess experience and perception of physical, psychological, and existential suffering in older individuals.</p><p><b>DESIGN AND METHODS: </b>scales were administered to 3 populations of older persons and/or their family caregivers: individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their family caregivers (N = 105 dyads), married couples in whom 1 partner had osteoarthritis (N = 53 dyads), and African American and Hispanic caregivers of care recipients with AD (N = 121). Care recipients rated their own suffering, whereas caregivers provided ratings of perceived suffering of their respective care recipients. In addition, quality of life, health, and functional status data were collected from all respondents via structured in-person interviews.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>three scales showed high levels of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. The scales were able to discriminate differences in suffering as a function of type of disease, demonstrated high intra-person correlations and moderately high inter-person correlations and exhibited predicted patterns of association between each type of suffering and indicators of quality of life, health status, and caregiver outcomes of depression and burden.</p><p><b>IMPLICATIONS: </b>suffering is an important but understudied domain. This article provides valuable tools for assessing the experience and perception of suffering in humans.</p>

DOI10.1093/geront/gnq033
Alternate JournalGerontologist
PubMed ID20478899
PubMed Central IDPMC3003549
Grant ListR01 AG026010 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
AG015321 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
R01 NR008272 / NR / NINR NIH HHS / United States
P30 MH071944 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
HL076852 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R24 HL076858-05 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
P50 AG05133 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
P30 MH071944-05 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG026010-03 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
R24 HL076852-05 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R24 HL076858 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HL076858 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
AG026010 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
P50 AG005133-24 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG015321-10 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
09573 / / PHS HHS / United States
R24 HL076852 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 NR009573 / NR / NINR NIH HHS / United States
(NR08272 / NR / NINR NIH HHS / United States
P50 AG005133 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States