Affiliation:
1. National Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Family Support, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2. University Center for Social and Urban Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
3. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
4. School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Abstract
Objectives
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System sampled 54,076 caregivers between 2015 and 2017 providing an opportunity to evaluate risk factors for poor mental and physical health among a representative sample of U.S. adult caregivers. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of childcare, work status, and intensity of caregiving among men and women caring for older adults (n = 17,271).
Methods
Controlling for sociodemographic factors, separate logistic regression analysis for women and men were carried out to assess the main and interaction effects of childcare, work status, and intensity of caregiving on number of poor mental and physical health days in the last month.
Results
Intensive caregiving demands had adverse effects on both women and men, but being in the workforce was beneficial to both men and women. Women with children at home reported adverse mental health effects but better physical health, while men with children at home reported adverse physical health effects. For women, the combination of not working, children in the household, and high-intensity caregiving were most detrimental to their mental health. Among men, those not working with children in the household, regardless of caregiving intensity, were at highest risk of adverse mental health effects.
Discussion
Our findings identify caregivers at high risk of adverse outcomes but also point to the need for more fine-grained analyses of how families negotiate the allocation of childcare, work, and caregiving responsibilities over time.
Funder
Administration for Community Living
National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Geriatrics and Gerontology,Gerontology,Clinical Psychology,Social Psychology