Does caring for your spouse harm one's health? Evidence from a United States nationally-representative sample of older adults

The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationship between spousal care-giving and declines in functioning and self-rated health among older care-givers. The authors used data from the 2000 and 2002 waves of the United States Health and Retirement Study, a biennial longitudinal survey of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ageing and society 2009-02, Vol.29 (2), p.277-293
Main Authors: RAHRIG JENKINS, KRISTI, KABETO, MOHAMMED U., LANGA, KENNETH M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Aged
Ageing
care-giving
Caregivers
Couples
decline
Elderly
Evidence
Health
Long Term Care
Marriage
older adults
Older people
Self Evaluation
self-rated health
spousal care
U.S.A
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Summary:The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationship between spousal care-giving and declines in functioning and self-rated health among older care-givers. The authors used data from the 2000 and 2002 waves of the United States Health and Retirement Study, a biennial longitudinal survey of a nationally representative cohort of adults aged 50 or more years. Two outcomes were examined, declines in functioning and declines in self-rated health. Care-givers were classified into three groups: no care-giving, less than 14 hours of care-giving per week, and 14 or more hours care-giving per week. To assess declines in functioning, two summary scores were created of limitations in basic and instrumental Activities of Daily Living. To assess declines in self-rated health, we compared responses from 2000 and 2002. In the fully adjusted models, care-giving hours did not have an independent effect on declines in functioning or self-rated health. The relationship between care-giving hours and declines in functioning and self-rated health is probably attributable to socio-demographic characteristics, mainly age. The findings suggest that spousal care-giving does not of itself harm functional health or perceived health among older adult care-givers. Understanding the differential effects of these socio-economic characteristics with care-giving hours on health will be useful in promoting the health of older adult care-givers and treating their disorders.
ISSN:0144-686X
1469-1779
DOI:10.1017/S0144686X08007824