Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Publication Date

12-1-2017

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Source Publication

Journal of Aging and Health

Source ISSN

0898-2643

Abstract

Objective: This study examined factors associated with the self-reported change in health status as a result of caregiving. Method: Multinomial logistic regression were performed to examine the sociodemographic characteristics, care recipients’ characteristics, and caregiving experiences that affect caregivers’ perceptions of health affected by caregiving using data from 1,087 caregiver respondents in the Caregiving in the U.S. 2015 data set. Data were collected through an online or telephone survey of randomly selected adults in 50 states. Results: Worsened self-reported health with caregiving occurred for caregivers aged 50 to 64, racial/ethnic minorities, those who lived within 20 min of the care recipient’s home, the presence of cognitive deficits, prolonged caregiving, and limited availability of accessible and affordable care services. Importantly, the feeling of choice in taking on care responsibilities was associated with an over fourfold increase in the odds ratio (OR) of better health in response to caregiving (OR = 4.21; confidence interval [CI] = [1.95, 9.08]; p < .001). Discussion: Results suggest that improving accessibility of social service resources to assist caregivers in being better supported and having more choice in caregiving responsibilities may foster a positive change in health status with caregiving.

Comments

Published version. Journal of Aging and Health, Vol. 29, No. 8 (December 1, 2017): 1444-1458. DOI. © 2018 by SAGE Publications. Used with permission.

Daniel Pinto was affiliated with Northwestern University at the time of publication.

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