Caregiving Strain and All-Cause Mortality: Evidence From the REGARDS Study

Using a large, national sample, this study examined perceived caregiving strain and other caregiving factors in relation to all-cause mortality. The REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study is a population-based cohort of men and women aged 45 years and older. Approxim...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2013-07, Vol.68 (4), p.504-512
Main Authors: PERKINS, Martinique, HOWARD, Virginia J, WADLEY, Virginia G, CROWE, Michael, SAFFORD, Monika M, HALEY, William E, HOWARD, George, ROTH, David L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult. Elderly
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Biological and medical sciences
Caregivers
Caregivers - psychology
Carers
Chronic Disease
Cohort Studies
Developmental psychology
Disability
Evidence-Based Medicine
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gerontology
Hazards
Health Surveys - methods
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Mortality
Neurology
Original Research Report
Parents
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Siblings
Stress
Stress, Psychological - etiology
Stress, Psychological - mortality
Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system
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Summary:Using a large, national sample, this study examined perceived caregiving strain and other caregiving factors in relation to all-cause mortality. The REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study is a population-based cohort of men and women aged 45 years and older. Approximately 12% (n = 3,710) reported that they were providing ongoing care to a family member with a chronic illness or disability. Proportional hazards models were used for this subsample to examine the effects of caregiving status measures on all-cause mortality over the subsequent 5-year period, both before and after covariate adjustment. Caregivers who reported high caregiving strain had significantly higher adjusted mortality rates than both no strain (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.55, p = .02) and some strain (HR = 1.83, p = .001) caregivers. The mortality effects of caregiving strain were not found to differ by race, sex, or the type of caregiving relationship (i.e., spouse, parent, child, sibling, and other). High perceived caregiving strain is associated with increased all-cause mortality after controlling for appropriate covariates. High caregiving strain constitutes a significant health concern and these caregivers should be targeted for appropriate interventions.
ISSN:1079-5014
1758-5368
DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbs084