MICHAEL CASERTA
  • Professor, College Of Nursing
  • Adjunct Professor, Health and Kinesiology
  • Professor Emeritus, College Of Nursing
  • Robert L. & Joyce T. Rice Presidential Endowed Chair in Healthy Aging
801-581-3572

Research Statement

Dr. Caserta has published widely in the areas of spousal bereavement, family caregiving, and health promotion and self-care. His recent work has focused on ways to improve the self-care practices and daily living skills of older widows and widowers.  Dr. Caserta was the principal investigator on a  5-year study (funded by the National Institute on Aging) that tested a bereavement intervention based on Stroebe and Schut’s (1999) dual process coping model.  He recently served as a project leader on a P01 project funded by the National Cancer Institute that addresses ways to enhance end-of-life and bereavement outcomes for cancer caregivers in hospice settings. This project provided an individually tailored intervention approach centered on bereavement support and education related to self-care and daily living challenges posing the most difficulty in the daily lives of the bereaved caregivers. Currently, he is the co-investigator in a 5-year NIA-funded study that is designing and testing an virtual time-use coach to help family caregivers use respite care most effectively for intended benefits.

Research Keywords

  • Healthy Aging
  • Health and Well-Being
  • Bereavement
  • Research and Quantitative Methods
  • Gerontology
  • Caregiving
  • Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia
  • Aging and Health Promotion

Presentations

  • Tanner, C.M., Caserta, M.S., Guo, J., Clayton, M.F., Bernstein, P.S., & Kleinschmidt, J.J. (2020). The Positive Legacy of Vision Loss: Pathways to Posttraumatic Growth. Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (Online). Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 11/2020.
  • Utz. R., Caserta, M., Terrill, A., Stark, L., Wong, B., Iacob, E., & Pascoe, A. (2019). Using Participatory Research and Community Engagement to Design an Online Caregiver Support Intervention. Alzheimer's Association International Conference, Los Angeles, California. Poster, Presented, 06/2019.
  • Utz. R., Caserta, M., Terrill, A., Stark, L., Wong, B., Iacob, E., & Pascoe, A. (2019). Time for Living & Caring (TLC): An Online Intervention to Maximize Caregivers' Use of Respite. Alzheimer's Association International Conference, Los Angeles, California. Poster, Presented, 06/2019.
  • Miller, L.M., Utz, R.L., Supiano, K., Lund, D. & Caserta, M.S. Profiles of Family Caregivers Prior to the Death of a Spouse and the Risk for Developing Prolonged Grief. (2018). Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 11/2018.
  • Chow, A. Y. M., Caserta, M., Lund, D., Suen, M. H. P., Xiu, D., Chan, I. K. N., & Kurtee, S. M.C. (2018). Dual process bereavement group intervention (DPBGI) for widowed older adults. Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA . Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 11/2018.
  • Haynes-Lewis, H., Clayton, M., Clark, L., Moadel-Robblee, A., Viswanathan, S., & Caserta, M. (2018). Perceptions of care coordination and distress for ethnically diverse older adults living with advanced or recurrent cancer. Annual Meeting of the Society for Behavioral Medicine, New Orleans, LA. Poster, Presented, 03/2018.
  • Utz, R., Caserta, M., Miller, L., Supiano, K., & Lund, D. (2017). A targeted and tailored bereavement intervention for cancer caregivers. International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, San Francisco, CA . Poster, Presented, 07/2017.
  • Caserta, M., Utz, R., Donaldson, G., Lund, D., Supiano, K., & Latimer, S. (2016). Bereaved cancer caregivers’ preparedness for spouse/partner loss. Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, New Orleans, LA. Poster, Presented, 11/2016.
  • Utz, R., Caserta, M., Donaldson, G., Lund, D., & Supiano, K. (2016). Supporting widowed persons: Testing an individually-tailored bereavement intervention base on the dual process model. Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, New Orleans, LA. Poster, Presented, 11/2016.
  • Reblin, M., Utz, R., Donaldson, G., Caserta, M., Lund, D., Ellington, L. & Mooney, K. (2016). Support characteristics predict spouses’ loneliness across 1 year of bereavement. International Association for Relationship Research Conference, Toronto, Canada. Poster, Presented, 08/2016.
  • Reblin, M., Ellington, L., Clayton, M.F., Caserta, M., Lund, D. & Mooney, K. (2016). Emotional expression in home hospice cancer care: Implications for caregiver bereavement. Poster presented to the American Society of Clinical Oncology Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium, San Francisco, CA . Poster, Presented, 06/2016.
  • Polei, G., Caserta, M., Supiano, K., & Roberts, S. (2016). Goals of care: Recommendations for how to improve end-of-life care and quality of life among patients with heart failure. Annual meeting of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, Long Beach, CA. Poster, Presented, 02/2016.
  • “Beyond Support Groups,” (with K. Doka), Hospice Foundation of America Webinar Series, Washington, DC. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 05/12/2015.
  • Llanque, S., Caserta, M., Savage, L., Dingley, C., Lund, D., Landry, C., Cloyes, K., & Turner Groins, R. (2014). A systematic review of the literature of family caregiving for American Indian/Alaska Native elders. Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Washington, DC. Poster, Presented, 11/2014.
  • Mugiraneza, F., Dassel, K., Supiano, K., & Caserta, M. (2014). Assessing Alzheimer’s Disease awareness among racial and ethnic population groups in Salt Lake City. Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Washington, DC. Poster, Presented, 11/2014.
  • Llanque, S., Turner Groins, R., Caserta, M., Savage, L., Dingley, C., Landry, C., & Cloyes, K. (2014). Older American Indian and Alaskan natives and chronic diseases: A review of the literature. Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Washington, DC. Poster, Presented, 11/2014.
  • Wright, K., Pepper, G., Caserta, M. Wong, B., Brunker, C., Morris, D., Hazelett, S., Kropp, D., & Allen, K. (2014). Age, physical activity, and quality of life in dually enrolled Medicare-Medicaid older adults. Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Philadelphia, PA . Poster, Presented, 04/2014.
  • Reblin, M., Ellington, L., Mooney, K., Caserta, M. & Lund, D. (2014). Relationship quality as a risk factor for caregivers of home hospice cancer patients. Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Philadelphia, PA . Poster, Presented, 04/2014.
  • Llanque, S. M., Savage, L. M., Rosenburg, N. S., & Caserta, M. S. (2014). Concept analysis: Alzheimer’s caregiver stress. Annual Meeting of the Western Institute of Nursing, Seattle, WA. Poster, Presented, 04/2014.
  • Caserta, M., Utz, R., & Lund, D. (2013). Providing and receiving help in bereavement support group meetings. Annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, New Orleans, LA. Poster, Presented, 11/2013.
  • Mooney, K., Berry, P., Caserta, M., & Ellington, L., Clayton, M., Lund, D., & Utz, R. (2013). Partners in Hospice Care: A program project grant supporting family caregivers during hospice care through bereavement. Annual assembly of the American Association of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, New Orleans, LA. Panel, Presented, 03/2013.
  • Wright, K., Caserta, M., Allen, K., Hazelett, S., Jarjoura, D., Kropp, D., Hua, K., & Pfister, E. (2011). Overcoming special challenges to adhering to health behaviors: A case study from AD-LIFE. Annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 11/2011.
  • Utz, R. Bearnson, K., Caserta, M., Lund, D., & de Vries, B. (2011). Feeling lonely vs. being alone: Social support and loneliness among recently bereaved. Annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 11/2011.
  • Beck, S., Wong, B., Guo, J., Honea, N., Towsley, G., Thomas, T., Ellington, L., Caserta, M., & Smith, J. (2011). Tailored, targeted, and timely symptom management for older men with prostate cancer. Annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA. Poster, Presented, 11/2011.
  • Caserta, M., Lund, D., & Utz, R. (2011). Partners in Hospice Care: Individualized dual process intervention for bereaved partners after cancer death - Model and methods. Science of Compassion: Future Directions in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, National Institute of Nursing Research, Bethesda, MD. Poster, Presented, 08/2011.
  • Mooney, K., Caserta, M., Ellington, L., Lund, D., Berry, P., Clayton, M., Donaldson, G., & Utz, R. (2011). Partners in Hospice Care: A program project grant exploring and supporting family caregiving during hospice end-of-life through bereavement. Science of Compassion: Future Directions in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, National Institute of Nursing Research, Bethesda, MD. Poster, Presented, 08/2011.
  • Berry, P., Mooney, K., Ellington, L., & Caserta, M. (2011). Partners in Hospice Care: Partnering with Hospice Programs in research – Successes and lessons learned. Science of Compassion: Future Directions in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, National Institute of Nursing Research, Bethesda, MD. Poster, Presented, 08/2011.
  • Keynote Address: “Aging Well – A Reachable Goal,” Utah Association of Educational Office Professionals, Salt Lake City, UT. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 03/2011.
  • Utz, R., Caserta, M., Bearnson, K. L., Lund, D., & de Vries, B. (2010). For whom can grief be modified? An evaluation of the “Living after Loss” intervention. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, New Orleans, LA . Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 2010.
  • Caserta, M., Utz, R., Bearnson, K. L., Lund, D., & de Vries, B. (2010). Coping processes among recently bereaved spouses/partners in two group-based study conditions. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, New Orleans, LA . Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 2010.
  • Beck, S., Caserta, M., Ellington, L., Wong, B., Guo, J., & Hornea, N. (2010). The symptom experience in older men with prostate cancer receiving radiation therapy. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, New Orleans, LA. Poster, Presented, 2010.
  • Baraki, K. & Caserta M. (2010). Restructuring Clinical Education: The Active Engagement Model. Western Institute of Nursing Research Conference, Tempe, AZ. Poster, Presented, 2010.
  • Wright, K., Ellington, L., Clayton, M., Berry, P., & Caserta, M. (2010). Pre-death dual process coping in hospice nurse-caregiver communication? A case study. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, New Orleans, LA. Poster, Presented, 2010.
  • Beck, S., Honea, N., Caserta, M., & Guo J.W. (2010). Experience with the Randomized Preference Design: Tailoring Learning Preferences for Men with Prostate Cancer. American Psychosocial Oncology Society 7th National Conference, New Orleans. Poster, Presented, 2010.
  • Zimmer, Z., Chen, F., Caserta, M., & Wright, S. (2010). Social support and depressive symptoms among older adults in Taiwan: A longitudinal study. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, New Orleans, LA. Poster, Presented, 2010.
  • de Vries, B., Lund, D., Caserta, M. & Utz, R. (2009) Social Support in early widowhood. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Atlanta, GA. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 2009.
  • Beck, S., Smith, J., Ellington, L., Wong, B., Honea, M., Caserta, M., Lindau, K., & Guo, J. W. (2009) Gear Up!: Implementing a Targeted and Tailored Intervention Trial. Western Institute of Nursing Regional Research Conference, Salt Lake City, UT . Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 2009.
  • Lund, D., Caserta, M., Utz, R., & de Vries, B. (2009). Early bereavement adjustments of widow(er)s in culturally unique cities: Salt Lake City & San Francisco. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Pacific Sociological Association, San Diego, CA. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 2009.
  • Utz, R., Lund, D, Caserta, M., & deVries, B. (2009). Perceived self-competency among bereaved spouses. Presentation at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, San Francisco, CA. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 2009.
  • Utz. R., Jasti, S., Caserta, M., Lund, D., & de Vries, B. (2009). Health and health behaviors of older bereaved spouses. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Atlanta, GA. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 2009.
  • “A Program of Research in Spousal/Partner Loss in Mid and Later Life,” College of Nursing Seminar Series, University of Utah. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 2009.
  • Utz, R., Jasti, S., Caserta, M., Lund, D., & de Vries, B. (2009). The illness of grief. Presentation at annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, Philadelphia, PA. Poster, Presented, 2009.
  • Caserta, M., Lund, D., Utz, R. & de Vries, B. (2008). Participants‘ experiences in a dual process model (DPM) intervention for bereaved spouses/partners. Paper presented as part of a symposium, “Testing the dual process model of bereavement: The benefits of restoration-oriented coping for older bereaved persons,” at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, National Harbor, MD. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 11/2008.

Languages

  • English, fluent.

Publications

  • Clayton, M., Utz, R., Iacob, E., Towsley, G., Eaton, J., Fuhrmann, H., Dassel, K., Caserta, M., & Supiano, K. (in press). Live hospice discharge, Experiences of families and hospice staff. Patient Education and Counseling. Accepted, 01/2021.
  • Miller, L. M., Utz, R. L., Supiano, K., Lund, D., & Caserta, M. S. (in press). Health profiles of spouse caregivers: The role of active coping and the risk for developing prolonged grief. Social Science & Medicine. Accepted, 11/2020.
  • Trujillo-Tanner, C., Ord, L., Caserta, M., Kleinschmidt, J., Bernstein, P. S., Clayton, M., & Guo, J. (2020). The expectancy effect and age-related macular degeneration research: A scoping review. Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research, 10(1). DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.5241/10-183. Online. Published, 08/2020.
  • Miller, L., Kaye, J.A., Lyons, K.S., Lee, C., Whitlatch, C. J. & Caserta, M.S. (2019). Well-being in dementia care dyads and the impact of multiple dimensions of strain on persons with dementia and their family care partners. International Psychogeriatrics. Vol. 31, 617-626. Published, 12/2019.
  • Chow, A., Caserta, M., Lund, D., Suen, M., Xiu, D., Chan, I. & Kurtee, S. (2019). Dual process bereavement group intervention (DPBGI) for widowed older adults. Gerontologist. Vol. 59, 983-994. Published, 11/2019.
  • Miller, L., Whitlatch, C, Lee, C. & Caserta, M (2019). Care values in dementia: Patterns of perception and incongruence in family care dyads. Oxford. Vol. 59, 509-518. Published, 01/16/2019.
  • Trujillo-Tanner, C., Caserta, M., Clayton, M., Kleinschmidt, J., Bernstein, P. & Guo, J. (2018). Research methods with older adults with vision impairment: Lessons learned and recommended best practices. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine. Vol. 4, 1-6. Published, 11/2018.
  • Haynes-Lewis, H., Clayton, M., Viswanathan, S., Moadel-Robblee, A., Clark, L. & Caserta, M. (2018). Relationships between distress and supportive care needs for ethnically diverse older adults living with advanced or recurrent cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum. Vol. 45, 496-507. Published, 08/2018.
  • Mohlman, W., Dassel, K., Supiano, K. & Caserta, M. (2018). End- of-life education and discussions with assisted living certified nursing assistants. Journal of Gerontological Nursing. Vol. 44, 41-48. Published, 01/02/2018.
  • Caserta, M. S., Lund, D. A., Utz, R. L., & Tabler, J. L. (2016). “One size doesn’t fit all” –Partners in Hospice Care, an individualized approach to bereavement intervention. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying. 73)2), 107-125.. Published, 06/2016.
  • Caserta, M., Lund, D. & Utz, R. (2016). Inventory of Daily Widowed Life (IDWL). In R. Neimeyer (Ed.), Techniques in Grief Therapy: Assessment and Application (pp. 65 – 70). Philadelphia, PA: Routledge. Published, 02/2016.
  • Tabler, J., Utz, R. L., Ellington, L., Reblin, M., Caserta, M., Clayton, M., & Lund, D. (2015). Missed opportunity: Hospice and the family. Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care 11 (3/4), 224-243. Published, 12/2015.
  • Wright, K. D., Pepper, G., Caserta, M., Wong. B., Brunker, C., Morris, D. L., Burant, C. J.,Hazelett, S., & Kropp, D. (2015). Factors that influence physical function and emotional well-being among Medicare-Medicaid enrollees. Geriatric Nursing, 36, S16-S20. Published, 05/2015.
  • Reblin, M., Donaldson, G., Ellington, L., Mooney, K., Caserta, M. & Lund, D. (in press). Spouse cancer caregivers at entry to home hospice: The role of relationship quality. Journal of Personal and Social Relationships.. Accepted, 04/27/2015.
  • Lund, D. A., Utz, R., Caserta, M. S., Wright, S. D., Llanque, S. M., Lindfelt, C., Shon, H.,Whitlatch, C. J., & Montoro-Rodriguez, J. (2014). Time for Living and Caring: An intervention to make respite more effective for caregivers. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 79(2), 157-178. Published, 12/2014.
  • Llanque, S.M., Savage, L.M., Rosenburg, N.S., & Caserta, M.S. (In press). Concept analysis: Alzheimer’s caregiver stress. Nursing Forum. [Online ahead of print: 5/1/14]. Published, 05/2014.
  • Caserta, M., Utz, R., Lund, D., Bearnson, K. L., & de Vries, B. (2014). Coping processes among the bereaved spouses. Death Studies, (38), 145-155. Published, 04/2014.
  • de Vries, B., Utz, R., Caserta, M., & Lund, D. (2014). Friend and family contact and support in early widowhood. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 69(1), 75-84. Published, 01/2014.
  • Utz, R. L., Swenson, K. L., Caserta, M., Lund, D., & de Vries, B. (2014). Feeling lonely vs.being alone: Loneliness and social support among recently bereaved spouses. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 69(1), 85-94.. Published, 01/2014.
  • Caserta, M., Utz, R., & Lund. D. (2013). Spousal bereavement following cancer death. Illness, Crisis & Loss, 21(3), 185-202.. Published, 11/2013.
  • Utz, R. L., Caserta, M., & Lund, D. (2013). An evaluation of the Living After Loss Intervention –Part 1: Do bereavement-related outcomes vary by the content of support groups? Grief Matters: The Australian Journal of Grief & Bereavement, 16(2), 32-35. Published, 10/2013.
  • Utz, R. L., Lund, D, & Caserta, M. (2013). An evaluation of the Living After Loss Intervention –Part 2: Do bereavement-related outcomes vary by the dynamics of support groups Grief Matters: The Australian Journal of Grief & Bereavement, (16(2), 36-40. Published, 10/2013.
  • Caserta, M. Guest Editor, Special Issue - Transitions over the Life Course and Healthy Aging. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 74(3.. Published, 08/2012.
  • Caserta, M. (2012). Challenges, transitions and healthy aging: Introduction to the special issue. International Journal of Aging and Human Development (Special Issue – Transitions over the Life Course and Healthy Aging), 74(3), 189-191. Published, 08/2012.
  • Utz, R. L., Caserta, M. & Lund, D. 2012). Grief, depressive symptoms, and physical health among recently bereaved spouses. The Gerontologist, 52(4), 460-471. Published, 07/2012.
  • Utz, R. L., Lund, D. A., Caserta, M. S., & Wright S. (2012). The benefits of respite time-use: A comparison of employed and non-employed caregivers. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 31(3), 438-461. . Published, 05/2012.
  • Utz, R. L., Lund, D. A., Caserta, M. S. & de Vries, B. (2011). Perceived self-competency among the recently bereaved. Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care, 7(2/3), 173-194. Published, 09/2011.
  • Caserta, M., Utz, R., Lund, D., & de Vries, B. (2010) Sampling, recruitment, and retention in a bereavement intervention study: Experiences from the Living After Loss project. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 61(3) 183-205. Published, 2010.
  • Lund, D., Caserta, M. Utz, R., & de Vries, B. (2010). Experiences and early coping of bereaved spouses/partners in an intervention based on the Dual Process Model (DPM). Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 61(4), 293-315. Published, 2010.
  • Lund, D., Caserta, M., Utz, R., & de Vries, B. (2010). A tale of two counties: Bereavement in socio-demographically diverse places. Illness, Crisis, and Loss, 18(4), 299-319. Published, 2010.
  • Lund, D. A., Utz, R., Caserta, M. S., & Wright, S. D. (2009). Examining what caregivers do with respite time to make respite more effective. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 28, 109-131. Published, 2009.
  • Caserta, M., Lund, D., Utz, R., & de Vries, B. (2009). Stress-related growth among the recently bereaved. Aging & Mental Health, 13, 463-476. Published, 2009.
  • Beck, S. L., Towsley, G. L., Caserta, M. S., Lindau, K., & Dudley, W. N. (2009). Symptom experience and quality of life of rural and urban older adult cancer survivors. Cancer Nursing: An International Journal for Cancer Care, 32, 359-369. Published, 2009.
  • Lund, D. A., Utz, R., Caserta, M. S., & de Vries, B. (2008). Humor, laughter, and happiness in the daily lives of recently bereaved spouses. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 58, 87-105. Published, 2008.