Factors associated with disaster preparedness among family dementia caregivers in Chinese American communities in New York City

Abstract

Disaster preparedness is an increasingly significant public health concern. Disasters could manifest in various types and forms, often leading to substantial disruption of human lives and daily routines. This poses unique challenges for family dementia caregivers and their care recipients living in the community. However, there remains much unknown regarding family dementia caregiver disaster preparedness, especially in ethnic and racial minority communities. Informed by the Protection Motivation Theory, within the backdrop of Hurricane Ida, this study is among the first to investigate the relationship between caregiving‐related characteristics, coping appraisals, and disaster preparedness among family dementia caregivers in Chinese American communities. Data came from a pilot study on Chinese American family dementia caregivers in New York City between November 2021 and June 2022. Purposive sampling was used to recruit family dementia caregivers to participate in a survey either online or via telephone. Current caregivers ( n = 76) were included. The dependent variable was caregiver disaster preparedness, a single item measured by preparedness for Hurricane Ida (prepared vs. others). Caregiving‐related characteristics included caregiver role, duration of care, and care recipient's stage of dementia. Caregiver coping appraisals were captured by caregiver avoidance toward death and caregiver response efficacy. Descriptives, group comparisons, and stepwise logistic regressions were conducted. In our sample, most were spousal caregivers (40.9%), followed by adult child caregivers (37.9%) and other relative caregivers (21.2%), and caring for someone with severe dementia (64.5%). In group comparisons, caregivers caring for someone with mild dementia were marginally associated with a lower likelihood of reporting disaster preparedness. Caregivers with higher levels of response efficacy, having an emergency plan in place, and with lower levels of avoidance toward death tended to report disaster preparedness. In stepwise logistic regressions, spousal caregivers were 4.46 times more likely to report disaster preparedness (OR = 4.46; 95% CI = 1.08, 18.43). Caregivers with lower levels of avoidance toward death were 1.52 times more likely to report disaster preparedness (OR = 1.52; 95% CI = 1.01, 2.30). Caregivers with higher levels of response efficacy were 2.36 times more likely to report disaster preparedness (OR = 2.36; 95% CI = 1.08, 5.15). This study offers theoretical and practical implications on how to engage and support Chinese American communities in disaster preparedness and planning.