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The purpose of this study was to test a model of factors influencing family caregivers' responses and health outcomes during the 2-month period following an elder's discharge from the hospital for acute episodes of chronic illness. The elder's average age was 72.3 years. The average age of caregivers, 63% of whom were spouses of the elder, was 61 years. A longitudinal design was used for this study. Data were collected from 346 elder/caregiver dyads the day before discharge and at 2 weeks and 2 months postdischarge. Structural equation analysis was used to evaluate the conceptual model. The findings suggest that the model fits the data with an overall Goodness of Fit Index of .80.
Bull et al. (Mon,) studied this question.