This study explores the relationship of daily mood and daily events in a caregiving context. Family caregivers to demented elders (N = 43) kept fourteen-day diaries of: 1) caregiving activities, 2) disruptive patient behaviors, and 3) daily mood. Independent raters and cluster analysis support the hypothesis of three mood patterns. Differences among the three clusters in the relationship of mood and daily caregiving events were explored. The findings indicate that some caregivers are highly distressed by caregiving demands, some report moderate levels of distress, and others show no relationship between mood and daily events. The varied patterns support an individual differences approach to understanding caregiving and in the design of interventions.
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