title: Spouses, adult children, and children-in-law as caregivers of older adults: a meta-analytic comparison.
abstract: The present meta-analysis integrates the results from 168 empirical studies on differences between caregiving spouses, adult children, and children-in-law. Spouses differ from children and children-in-law significantly with regard to sociodemographic variables; also, they provide more support but report fewer care recipient behavior problems. Spouse caregivers report more depression symptoms, greater financial and physical burden, and lower levels of psychological well-being. Higher levels of psychological distress among spouses are explained mostly--but not completely--by higher levels of care provision. Few differences emerge between children and children-in-law, but children-in-law perceive the relationship with the care recipient as less positive and they report fewer uplifts of caregiving.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany. pinquart@staff.uni-marburg.de
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pinquart
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sörensen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology