Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Hidden Struggle: Challenges Older Women Face In Nevada, Annie Vong

Student Research

In 2020, almost one in five Nevadans was over the age of 65.[1] However, within this age group, women outnumber men due to longer life expectancies[2] and migration patterns. Women over 65 years of age make up an estimated 18.1% of the female population in Nevada.[3] Of the male population in Nevada, 15.1% are over 65 years of age.[4] Older women are less likely to be married, are less likely to have completed a bachelor’s degree, are more likely to drop out of the labor force, and are more likely to be living in poverty in …

Pain Limits Family Caregivers’ Daily Activities, Shelbie G. Turner, Karl A. Pillemer, Jamie Robinson, M. Cary Reid

Population Health Research Brief Series

Family caregivers are the main providers of home care to older adults, especially as the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia rises. Caregiving can take a toll on caregivers’ physical and mental health, which impacts both their own well-being and their care recipients’ health outcomes. This brief summarizes findings from a study that used data from the 2017 National Study on Caregiving (NSOC) to estimate the prevalence of arthritis and activity-limiting pain among 1,930 family caregivers to older adults. Over half of all caregivers reported bothersome pain in the previous month, 24% of whom had pain that limited their …

"I Stayed There The Whole Night": Exploring Caregivers' Experiences With The Healthcare System When Caring For A Parent At The End Of Life, Lillian Mehran

Dissertations and Theses

Background: In the United States, there are nearly 53 million individuals serving as caregivers to a loved one. Half of all caregivers are caring for a parent or parent-in-law, and 79% of caregivers are caring for a person aged 50 or older. In New York State, there are an estimated 4.1 million caregivers who collectively provide over 2.6 billion hours of unpaid care, with those caring for a person at the end of life providing twice as many hours of caregiving per week compared to other caregivers. The number of individuals requiring caregiving is expected to increase as a significant …

How Has Grandparenthood Changed In Rural China?, Merril D. Silverstein

Population Health Research Brief Series

China’s rapid modernization and development have led to changes across Chinese society, including within the family. China is experiencing declining birth rates, meaning that fewer older adults are becoming grandparents. At the same time, there has been growing demand for grandparents to serve as caregivers for their grandchildren. This data slice examines the changes in grandparenting in rural China and calls for policies that decrease caregiver burnout, stress, and associated poor health outcomes.

Gendered Impact Of Caregiving Responsibilities On Tenure Track Faculty Parents’ Professional Lives, Amy C. Moors, Abigail J. Stewart, Janet E. Malley

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Navigating a career while raising a family can be challenging, especially for women in academia. In this study, we examine the ways in which professional life interruptions due to child caregiving (e.g., opportunities not offered, professional travel curtailed) affect pre- and post-tenure faculty members’ career satisfaction and retention. We also examine whether sharing caregiving responsibilities with a partner affected faculty members’ (particularly women’s) career outcomes. In a sample of 753 tenure track faculty parents employed at a large research-intensive university, results showed that as the number of professional life interruptions due to caregiving increased, faculty members experienced less career satisfaction …

“We Live On An Island:” Perspectives On Rural Family Caregiving For Adults With Alzheimer’S Disease And Related Dementias In The United States, Heather J. Williamson, Andria B. Begay, Dorothy J. Dunn, Rachel Bacon, Mark Remiker, Yolanda E. Garcia, Michael J. Mccarthy, Julie A. Baldwin

The Qualitative Report

As the United States’ aging population grows, there will be increased prevalence of individuals living with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD), who largely rely on the support of their family caregivers. Family caregivers residing in rural areas face additional challenges with managing caregiving responsibilities and navigating support services. The purpose of this multilevel phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the assets, unique needs, and resources of rural-residing ADRD caregivers from the caregiver, provider, and policy influencers’ perspectives. The study took place between 2019 through 2021 in northern Arizona, a largely rural and geographically vast area home to caregivers from …

Stay-At-Home Fathers: What Is Their Life Really Like? An Intimate Portrayal, Christi Ann Hosking

MSU Graduate Theses

Reinforced by years of gender stereotypes is modern societies’ definition of masculinity, which has long been characterized by breadwinning and providing. Current literature has observed the growing trend which finds an increasing number of men engaged in the role of caregiver and the dynamic change in the home-work balance. Only a few studies looked at what life is like for a stay-at-home father and even fewer have allowed these fathers a unique voice for sharing their story. The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of what day to day life was really like as a stay-at-home …

Women Report Worse Employment Impacts From Family Caregiving, Claire Pendergrast

Population Health Research Brief Series

29.2 million people in the United States, most of them women, act as family caregivers while also holding down a paying job. U.S. social policy is notoriously unsupportive of family caregivers. As a result, families struggling to balance caregiving and paid employment face emotional, social, and financial stress, with especially severe negative impacts for women. This brief uses a nationally representative sample of family caregivers participating the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) to describe gender differences in how providing care to a family member impacts caregivers’ employment experiences. Findings suggest that women are more likely than men to provide …

The 100-Year Life And The New Family Law, Elizabeth S. Scott, Naomi Cahn

Faculty Scholarship

This draft book chapter, prepared as part of a symposium on The 100-Year Life by Linda Gratton and Andrew Scott, reflects on the future of family law in an era of longer lives. Our analysis leads us to conclude that the 100-year life is indeed likely to have an impact on the nature, scope, and definition of family law, but that families will continue to function as the primary setting for intimacy and for caregiving and caretaking, whatever form those families take. Further, the importance to both individual and social welfare of family support throughout life points to a need …

Emotion Identification And Beliefs About Emotions As Mediators Of Ptsd And Parenting Meta-Emotion Philosophies, Maegan Calvert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 20% of women are sexually victimized and incarcerated women’s rates of victimization are much higher. In addition, women have a higher rate of PTSD and trauma-related sequelae than men. Interpersonal trauma experiences can have a negative impact on emotional processes such as alexithymia, recognizing others’ emotions, and healthy beliefs about emotional experiences. These difficulties are associated with problematic parenting. However, the mediational processes by which PTSD and disruptive emotional processes affect parenting is unclear. The current study examines the associations among PTSD, alexithymia, negative beliefs about emotions, emotion recognition in children, and parenting meta-emotion philosophies in incarcerated women presenting …

The Roles Of Parents In Shaping Fathering Across Generations In Cebu, Philippines, Lee T. Gettler, Patty X. Kuo, Abet Bas, Judith B. Borja

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Objective: This study examined how parental caregiving and parent–child closeness are associated with future fathering among 335 Filipino men who are participants in a long-running birth cohort study.

Background Few studies have multidecade longitudinal data to test the pathways through which parenting is transmitted across generations, with most relevant research conducted in the United States, Europe, and other similar settings. The roles of mothers and fathers in shaping their sons’ future parenting is particularly understudied despite fathers having the potential to positively influence child health and development.

Method: Participants’ mothers (Generation 1 [G1]) reported on caregiving during Generation 2 (G2) …

Parenting A Second Time Around: The Strengths And Challenges Of Indigenous Grandparent Caregivers, Jessica Y. Hsieh, Kristen J. Mercer, Sarah A. Costa

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Background: There is a lack of knowledge and research of Indigenous grandparents rearing grandchildren. A burgeoning area of research, the literature only includes studies conducted from the year 2002 and onwards. In order to minimize the burdens that Indigenous grandparents encounter when assuming this role, a greater understanding of this population is crucial. This scoping review was undertaken in an attempt to gain insight into and generate awareness of this population, specifically concerning their needs and experiences. Methods: Sixteen databases were searched, including two medical databases and fourteen social science databases. A total of 92 titles and abstracts were independently …

Policy Brief No. 2 - Gender Differences In Family/Friend Caregiving In Canada, Janet Fast, Karen Duncan, Chelsea Dunlop, Jacquie Eales, Norah Keating, Donna Lero, Satomi Yoshino

Population Change and Lifecourse Strategic Knowledge Cluster Research/Policy Brief

Family/friend caregivers comprise the backbone of the Canadian health care system. They provide 70-80% of care to individuals with a chronic health problem or disability at an estimated value of $25-26 billion annually. For those who develop policies and programs to support the family/friend care sector, it is critical to understand the characteristics of current family/friend caregivers. Using data from Statistics Canada’s 2007 General Social Survey (GSS) on family, social support, and retirement, we describe the characteristics of family/friend caregivers age 45 and older in Canada.

Factors Associated With Unmet Needs Among African-American Dementia Care Providers, P. J. Desin, Allison M. Caban-Holt, Erin L. Abner, Linda J. Van Eldik, Frederick A. Schmitt

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Racial and ethnic minorities currently comprise 20% of the U.S. population; in 2050, this figure is expected to rise to 42%. As a result, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the 5th leading cause of death for people aged 65 and older, is likely to increase in these groups. Most dementia caregiving for these populations comes from family and friends, especially among families with lower socioeconomic status. A convenience sample of 30 African-American dementia caregivers was interviewed to determine unmet needs. Participants expressed a limited desire for formal services, such as support groups, legal advice, case management, and homemaker services. Instead, commonly expressed …

The Aids House: Orphan Care And The Changing Household In Lesotho, Ellen Block

Sociology Faculty Publications

HIV/AIDS has brought the connections between care and relatedness into sharp relief. In the midst of social change driven largely by the AIDS epidemic, the house has emerged as the most stable element connecting kin in Lesotho. Houses provide spaces that frame human actions, transform relationships, and reflect the social order. The house is a key crossroads for human movement. It is also the site where physical connections, emotional bonds, and feelings of love and affection are nurtured. Most significantly, it is the site where physical acts of caring take place. Based on extensive ethnographic research, I demonstrate that the …

Parent Participation In Child Therapeutic Settings, Robert Doss

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Researchers agree that more caregiver participation and higher levels of engagement in child therapeutic settings lead to better outcomes. However, challenges arise in families of low socioeconomic status (SES) where resources are already spread thin. The current study evaluates the efficacy of implementing a single caregiver participation session during an eight-week physical activity and play group for kids aged 6 to 9 years old. Results indicate that the group as a whole is useful in improving some emotional and behavioral issues in children, but the participation session did not seem to have an impact on improvement. A discussion of results, …

A Review Of Research On Aging Families: Emerging Issues, Zheng Wu, Sean Browning

Population Change and Lifecourse Strategic Knowledge Cluster Discussion Paper Series/ Un Réseau stratégique de connaissances Changements de population et parcours de vie Document de travail

Against the background of the demographic shifts of population aging, increased immigration, and growing ethno‐cultural diversity in Canada, it is important that we gain a better understanding of the needs of aging families. To date, family gerontologists have begun producing research on aging families to better understand how their needs can be met. In order to assess the state of the literature on aging families, we conducted a literature search (2009‐ 2014) of eleven top, peer‐reviewed journals. This literature was then assessed, revealing five prevalent themes: (1) structural diversity in aging families, (2) family relationships in later life, (3) caregiving …

Characteristics Of Mothers Caring For Children During Episodes Of Homelessness, Melissa L. Welch-Lazoritz, Les B. Whitbeck, Brian E. Armenta

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This study provides a description of the physical, psychological, and substance use problems of adult homeless women who are and are not caring for children. We also examined differences in the characteristics of these two groups of women. Interviews were conducted with 148 homeless women from three mid-sized U.S. cities, 24.3% of whom were caring for at least one child. Our results showed that women caring for children were more likely to be sheltered and have health insurance. Homeless women caring for children and solitary homeless women were generally similar in terms of substance abuse problems. However, rates of Borderline …

Relationship Between Stress Burden And Perceived Support Among Elderly Male Spousal Caregivers, Stephanie Fitzsimmons Sexton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As older couples age, often one partner becomes more competent and able to care for the other, in which case they are able to remain in their homes. In one township in the northeastern United States, the caregiving role had a significant effect on the lives of elderly men who care for their wives. The purpose of this quantitative project study was to determine the relationship between perceived stress burden and perceived level of social support services and between perceived stress burden and use of support services by elderly male spousal caregivers residing in active adult communities. Watson's theory of …

Fact Sheet: Cohort Differences In Parental Care Needs, Maximiliane E. Szinovacz, Linda C. Lieber

Gerontology Institute Publications

There has been considerable concern about the availability of informal and especially family care when the baby boom cohorts reach old age (Ryan and Smith et al., 2012). However, as care needs typically arise in late old age (age 70 or later), a more immediate issue is the care burden faced by the baby boomer cohorts themselves as their parents now reach late old age. To assess the potential care burden faced by baby boom adult children one first needs to assess their parents’ care needs. Such assessment is also essential as research shows that parental care needs do not …

Fact Sheet: Cohort Differences In Parents’ Illness And Nursing Home Use, Maximiliane E. Szinovacz

Gerontology Institute Publications

Surviving parents of the war baby and baby boom cohorts are now reaching very old age. Given their increased longevity and postponement of morbidity into very old age (see Fact Sheets on parental mortality and care needs), it is essential to estimate whether and to what extent these parents will require informal or formal care. Such care is typically most burdensome and costly if it involves long-lasting illness prior to death. Furthermore, Medicare and especially Medicaid expenditures will depend on whether or not these parents require nursing home care. To obtain some estimates of the prevalence of long-lasting illness and …

Healthy Eating And Physical Activity Challenges And Opportunities In After-School Programs: Providers’ Perspectives, Heather Thomas, L. Fellner, Patricia Tucker, Jennifer Irwin

Trish Tucker

The purpose of this study was to understand after-school program providers’ perspectives of (a) current physical activity and nutrition curriculum, practices, and challenges, and (b) necessary modifications, program suggestions or resource needs to improve the healthy eating and active living practices within their after-school program for children aged 6 to 12 years. This qualitative study targeted a sample of nine after-school program providers in London, Ontario. Data was collected via in-depth interviews and a demographic survey between January and April 2009. Strategies to enhance data trustworthiness were incorporated throughout. After-school program providers identified insufficient healthy eating curriculum and requested interactive, …

Parental Leave Usage By Fathers And Mothers At An American University, Jennifer H. Lundquist, Joya Misra, Kerryann O'Meara

Dr. Jennifer H. Lundquist

While many U.S. research universities now offer gender neutral family friendly policies, very few are what might be considered “father friendly.” Campus cultures rarely encourage men to access these policies, or do so reluctantly because some campus actors believe men will use parental leave time for their research instead of for childcare. We employ quantitative and qualitative data to compare the parental leave experiences of men and women faculty at a large research university. In doing so, we assess whether the allegation that men take unfair advantage parental leave is true at a large research university. We find that it …

Retired Women And Volunteering: The Good, The Bad, And The Unrecognized, Olena Nesteruk, Christine A. Price

Department of Family Science and Human Development Scholarship and Creative Works

In this article, we examine varied attitudes and practices toward volunteering in later life, as shared by a group of 40 retired women. We categorize women based on their engagement in retirement and label the categories according to societal expectations as follows: traditional volunteers as "good," nonvolunteers as "bad," and caregiving volunteers as "unrecognized." Using critical gerontology and a feminist framework, we juxtapose the lived experiences of retired women with a prevailing discourse on successful aging and civic engagement. We advocate for societal recognition of caregiving as a valuable form of volunteering, as well as the need to respect multiple …

Black And White Women In Blue: A Case Study Of Policewomen, Danielle Marie Teunion-Smith

Wayne State University Dissertations

This exploratory study examines the policing experiences of fourteen African American and White female police officers using interviews and observations. There is ample research that addresses the ability of women to perform policing duties, but most of the literature presumes that White and African American policewomen are a single aggregate. These ignored societal differences and social realities of black and white policewomen, based on distinctive assigned social positions, histories, images and location, possibly contribute to different perspectives and experiences in law enforcement. These same social realities shape occupational positions, perspectives, perceptions, and treatment within law enforcement organizations. There are broad …

Impact Of Role Discrepancies On Caregiver Burden Among Spouses, Marie Savundranayagam, R. Montgomery

Marie Y Savundranayagam

Using caregiver identity theory, the authors investigated whether role discrepancies mediated the relationships between illness-related stressors (activities of daily living [ADLs] limitations and problem behaviors) and burden (stress, relationship, and objective burden) for spouse caregivers. Participants completed measures of identity standards for spouse and caregiver roles and behaviors, burden, assistance with ADLs, and problem behaviors. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that role discrepancies completely mediated the relationships between ADLs and stress and relationship burden. Although role discrepancies mediated the relationships between problem behaviors and all forms of burden, there were direct relationships between problem behaviors and burden. Finally, participants who …

Financing Home And Community-Based Long-Term Care: Adult Children Caregiver Perspectives, Patricia K. Davis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Large numbers of baby boomers and a shift towards home-based long-term care designate a need for a greater understanding of caregiver attitudes surrounding the financing of long-term home-based care. This study examined more fully the types of home-based long-term care services that family caregivers were utilizing for their parents. In addition, the willingness and ability of caregivers to privately fund these services for aging parents were explored.

The study utilized a preexisting data set of qualitative interviews that were conducted with 30 family caregivers helping to provide long-term care for an elderly parent or older-generation relative. Participants in the sample …

African American Grandmothers Providing Extensive Care To Their Grandchildren: Socio-Demographic And Health Determinants Of Life Satisfaction, Dorothy Smith-Ruiz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The article explores the relationships between grandmothers' socioeconomic and health characteristics in relation to life satisfaction. Reasons for caregiving, assumption of the caregiver role, and grandmothers'attitudes and experiences in custodial caregiving were discussed qualitatively from data gathered in detailed interviews of a convenience sample of 99 custodial African American grandmothers caringf or one or more grandchildreny ounger than 18 in North Carolina. Most grandmothers in this sample reported mixed feelings toward custodial caregiving, both as a burden as well as a blessing. They also reported a weak support system and relied on their faith more than family and friends to …