Browsing by Author "Zuniga, Adriana"

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    “I wouldn’t look at it as stress”: Conceptualizations of Caregiver Stress among Low-Income Families of Children with Asthma
    (2013-02-24) Cheezum, Rebecca R.; Sampson, Natalie R.; Parker, Edith A.; Lewis, Toby C.; O’Toole, Ashley; Zuniga, Adriana; Patton, Jean; Robbins, Thomas G.; Keirns, Carla C.
    Low-income caregivers of children with asthma experience multiple stressors, likely worsening family health. As part of Community Action Against Asthma’s community-based participatory research partnership, researchers conducted 40 qualitative semi-structured interviews and quantitative surveys with low-income caregivers of children with asthma in Detroit, Michigan. Participants described daily childhood asthma experiences and completed scales including the Peds Quality of Life Family Impact Module and Zarit Burden Caregiver Scale. Quantitative scale findings suggested participants are moderately stressed or affected by their child’s illness. While there was some accordance between qualitative and quantitative findings, qualitative findings additionally captured many relevant life stressors, seemingly overlooked or conflated in scale responses. Many participants described asthma as part of childrearing, rather than as a stressor or burden. Findings encourage improvement of clinical, psychometric assessments used to measure and address stressors that shape health for many families with children with asthma.
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    A Life Course Perspective on Stress and Health Among Caregivers of Children With Asthma in Detroit
    (2013-01) Cheezum, Rebecca R.; Sampson, Natalie R.; Parker, Edith A.; Lewis, Toby C.; O’Toole, Ashley; Patton, Jean; Zuniga, Adriana; Robins, Thomas G.; Keirns, Carla C.
    Low-income caregivers raising children with asthma experience many obstacles to their own health, including stress. To understand and describe their daily experiences, researchers conducted 40 qualitative interviews supplemented with descriptive quantitative surveys in Detroit, Michigan, as part of a community-based participatory research partnership of Community Action Against Asthma. Prevalence of chronic illness is noticeably higher among participants than the general US population. Caregivers identified stress processes that may influence disproportionate health outcomes and risk-related behaviors over their lifetime. Applying a life course perspective, findings suggest that public health interventions should address family-level comorbidities, increase instrumental social support, and acknowledge practical coping mechanisms.