Parent care and the stress process: findings from panel data.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to test with panel data an extended model of the stress process recognizing the separate effects of a parent's need for care and an adult child's caring activities.


METHODS
Using data from the 1996, 1998, and 2000 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, we estimated nonlinear mixed models of mental health outcomes. We assessed mental health for separate samples of 3,350 men and 3,659 women by using an 8-item scale of depressive symptoms. We also explored the sensitivity of results to alternative measures and model specifications.


RESULTS
We found that female, but not male, caregivers whose parents needed care exhibited adverse mental health consequences. However, we found that, generally, both male and female non-caregivers whose parents needed care were more likely to report symptoms of depression than were non-caregivers without disabled parents. Additional findings suggest that the stress process is still more complex among married couples.


CONCLUSIONS
This study distinguishes the outcomes of parental care needs from those attributable to caregiving activities. Adverse psychological outcomes appear to be dispersed throughout the family. To focus narrowly on active caregivers is to underestimate the social burdens of disability at older ages.
Amirkhanyan
Anna A
AA
Department of Public Administration and Policy, School of Public Affairs, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA. aamirkha@american.edu
Wolf
Douglas A
DA
D032721:Adult Children / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002668:Child Rearing / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology / Q000639:trends; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012803:Sick Role; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D014481:United States