Abstract
BackgroundA common hypothesis is that caregiving is deleterious to women’s mental health. International studies continue to emphasize the importance of mental health issues for women. Yet only a few researchers have used population-based surveys to explore the association between caregiving and depressive symptomatology in the context of the community, and even less is known about this aspect of Baby Boomer women in a global context.MethodsThe present study uses eight international surveys covering nineteen nations (N = 15,100) and uses multilevel logistic models to examine possible linkages between caregiving and the likelihood of depressive symptoms among Baby Boomer women, when taking individual-level and country-level social factors into consideration.ResultsThe various analyses found a significant variation in the likelihood of depressive symptoms among these Boomer women across the nations investigated and across both individual-level and country-level characteristics. The significant association of caregiving by women and the likelihood of depressive symptoms is related to their social status in some nations (OR = 1.30; p < 0.001). Boomer women living in countries with high rates of female participation in managerial/professional work (OR = 1.04; p < 0.05) and living in countries where women are often in vulnerable employment (OR = 1.01; p < 0.05) are at greater risk of depressive symptomatology.ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate that the depressive consequences of caregiving by women are, to some degree, contingent upon social context and structure. Policies aimed at promoting mental health among female Baby Boomers should therefore be context specific.
Highlights
A common hypothesis is that caregiving is deleterious to women’s mental health
In the context of the association between caregiving and depressive symptoms, we further examined the degree to which Baby Boomers psychologically benefit from their higher levels of education and changing social role,s as well as examining the extent to which social status and roles are contingent upon national context or culture
The results of this study suggest: (1) there is substantial variation in the likelihood of depressive symptomatology among Baby Boomer women when examined with respect to caregiving and social status; (2) caregiving is associated with higher levels of depressive symptomatology in Baby Boomer women even when other social factors are controlled for at both the individual and country levels; (3) the likelihood of depressive symptomatology does vary significantly across countries; and (4) the proportion of women employed in the non-agricultural sector and the vulnerable employment rate at the country level are associated with the likelihood of depressive symptomatology over and above individual social status
Summary
A common hypothesis is that caregiving is deleterious to women’s mental health. International studies continue to emphasize the importance of mental health issues for women. Baby Boomers are a special social group and the name refers to the generation of individuals born between 1946 and 1964 who experienced the rapid global revival that occurred after World War II. Given their higher levels of education and consequent greater employment in professional and managerial positions, these Baby Boomers are markedly different from members of their preceding generation [10,11,12]. While mortality rates were lower [13], studies have shown these Baby Boomers were more likely than pre-Baby Boomers to self-report poorer health [14] and higher levels of psychological distress [15]
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