Sociocultural Stress and Coping Model: Implications for Nursing Research

From 2010 to 2050, projections indicate that while the White elderly population will double, the African American population will quadruple and the Hispanic elderly population will increase 7 times. Currently 87% of the 5.3 million Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are cared for by their families at home. With the American population aging, there is an urgent need to sustain the number of available caregivers. Yet, there is substantial evidence that supports that caring for an adult with AD can have negative mental and physical consequences. Consistent with many other chronic diseases, health disparities/inequities also exist among minority caregivers of adults with AD. Minority elders have been shown to suffer from greater functional limitations than whites, placing an increased demand on their caregivers. The caregiver literature has provided a comprehensive portrayal of persons affected by high levels of stress over a sustained period of time. Given the growing minority population, Aranda and Knight's Sociocultural Stress and Coping Model (SSCM) has become extremely relevant in explaining the complexity and multidimensionality of the stress and coping process in caregivers of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Drawing on the earlier works of Lazarus and Folkman, the Aranda & Knight model provides a theoretically based conceptual framework that describes how minority caregivers are impacted by the demands of their loved ones within the context of culture. Nursing has always valued the role of culture and caring for patients appropriately. Additionally, Lazarus & Folkman's stress and coping theory has contributed significantly to nursing research. However, there has been limited, if any attention given to Knight's adaptation of Lazarus' work in the nursing literature. This presentation will examine findings of an integrated literature review of studies that have utilized the SSCM and will detail implications for nursing research. Nurses are well positioned to advocate for social justice for those that are most vulnerable. Contextualizing the stress and coping process greatly adds to the provision of culturally competent and evidence based care.