title: Spousal caregiving and financial strain among middle-aged and older adults.
abstract: We examine whether spousal caregivers face difficulties in meeting their basic household expenses compared to nonspousal caregivers and whether social support mechanisms ameliorate any financial strain from caregiving responsibilities. We use data for caregivers aged 45 and over drawn from a nationally representative, cross-sectional Canadian Community Health Survey--Healthy Aging (N = 5,067). Spousal caregiving is associated with a 35% increase in the likelihood of experiencing difficulties in meeting basic expenses compared to other types of caregiving. Each of social support mechanisms (affectionate, emotional/informational, and positive social interaction), singularly and combined, lessens financial strain from caregiving. Our findings suggest that spousal caregivers are particularly vulnerable because they have fewer resources to draw on for support and perform much more intensive care. Our results highlight the importance of developing appropriate policies and programs to support caregivers.
authors.affiliation: University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada yeonjung.lee@ucalgary.ca.
authors.forename: Yeonjung
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Karen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Zurlo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada; D017028:Caregivers / Q000191:economics*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: financial strain; social support; spousal caregiving