The Impact on the Wife of Caring for a Physically I11 Spouse

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to understand the impact on the wife of having a husband with COPD by determining the extent to which her mood was related to the stress of care giving, her health, her social support and the extent of the husband's illness. In order to separate the impact of having an ill husband from age-related changes, two groups of spouses were recruited; 26 wives of men with COPD and a matched sample of 26 wives with healthy husbands. Although there were no statistically significant differences in the scores between the two groups, the mood of the wives of COPD patients was influenced by their level of stress and social support; whereas the mood of the wives of healthy men was influenced by the woman's own health status. These results further our understanding of how various factors influence wives of healthy husbands compared to wives of husbands with a physical illness. This study, however, should be replicated with a larger sample. Future research should also be aimed at further identification and quantification of the effects on women who are caring for husbands who are physically ill with the ultimate goal of developing interventions to assist these women.