The impact of parent care on marital quality and well-being in adult daughters and sons.
This study prospectively examined the long-term impact of providing parent care using data from a probability-based U.S. sample of adult daughters and sons who had varying parent care experiences over time (N = 716). Parent care x Gender x Time mixed multivariate analyses of covariance using marital quality and well-being indicators as outcomes showed that, on average, experienced caregivers reported less marital happiness, more marital role inequity, and greater hostility than recent adult child caregivers. Significant three-way interactions indicated that experienced and recent caregiving daughters, respectively, showed an increase over time in depressive symptomatology and long-term depression, whereas their male counterparts showed a decline over the same period. Findings are discussed in terms of gender differences in the relative applicability of the wear-and-tear versus adaptation models of caregiving outcomes.
Department of Psychology, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, USA. bookwalj@lafayette.edu
Jamila
J
Bookwala
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D032721:Adult Children / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D054541:Family Conflict / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006240:Happiness; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*