Race, Social Context, and Caregiving Intensity
Impact on Depressive Symptoms Among Spousal Caregivers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15509347 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Florence Johnson (0000-0002-6442-8650, University of Michigan, corresponding author), Melissa Plegue (0000-0001-6032-534X, University of Michigan), Namratha Boddakayala (University of Michigan), Sheria G Robinson‐Lane (0000-0002-8986-0941, University of Michigan) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 1379-1379 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-03 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph22091379 |
| PMID | 41007523 |
| OpenAlex | W4413954832 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 42 |
Understanding the factors that influence the mental health of family caregivers is essential. This study examines the impact of caregiving intensity, operationalized as caregiving hours, on depressive symptoms, with a focus on racial differences and gender effects. We analyzed data from n = 2112 unique spousal caregivers across 6622 person-years of observations from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) longitudinal data (2008-2014). We estimated the impact of caregiving hours on depressive symptoms, controlling for race, gender, and education. Random intercepts accounted for household-level variance. We assessed interaction terms to evaluate differential effects across racial groups. Depressive symptoms were positively associated with caregiving hours β = 1.74, SE = 0.24, suggesting that increasing caregiving hours is likely to lead to emotional distress. We observed a significant negative interaction effect among African American caregivers (β = -1.25, p = 0.013), indicating that increased caregiving hours led to a reduction in depressive symptoms. Gender was not significantly associated with caregiving hours (β = -0.36, p = 0.715). The random effects model demonstrated substantial household-level variation (var(_cons) = 266.07, p < 0.0001). Findings highlight racial differences in the effects of caregiving hours on depressive symptoms and point to the importance of culturally responsive interventions designed to mitigate depressive symptoms among caregivers. Future research should explore protective factors that mitigate psychological distress and promote resilience
Cognition · Context (archaeology · Depressive symptoms · Geography · Psychiatry · Race (biology · Sociology · Clinical Psychology · Family and Disability Support Research · Family Support in Illness · Gender Studies · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Psychology · Gerontology
Cohort Profile
The CES-D Scale
Unpaid Family Caregiving—The Next Frontier of Gender Equity in a Postpandemic Future
Caregiver Quality of Life
Health inequities
Cross-National Analysis of the Associations Between Familism and Self-Efficacy in Family Caregivers of People With Dementia
Microaggressions and general health among Black and Asian Americans
The Impact of Care Intensity and Work on the Mental Health of Family Caregivers
| Highly cited | No |
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