Men Caregivers Research Articles

Understanding Male Caregivers’ Emotional, Financial, and Physical Burden in the United States

Men caregivers face caregiving burden, have weak support networks and are less likely to seek out programs which increase their caregiving capabilities and help them cope with this burden. Using the 2011 and 2015 National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) database and hierarchical regressions, we studied the emotional, financial, and physical burden of male caregivers as spouses, sons, and other caregivers by assessing the impact of caregiver characteristics, tasks and resources for each subgroup. We highlighted the importance of using a nationally representative database for men caregivers only and emphasized that these caregivers are not a monolithic group. We found that all caregivers experienced these three burden types, particularly elevated emotional stress, with sons reporting the highest emotional and financial strain levels. Assisting with personal care was the most stressful task and caregivers vastly under-utilized support and training. Our results suggest that burden suppressants included having family and friends help with caregiving, having time to decompress, and feeling appreciated by the care recipient. These findings offer insight for devising future policies that intentionally include relationship and burden type to encourage improved and more caregiving from men while supporting their well-being.

Depressive symptoms among adult children caregivers in China: moderating effects of working status and gender

Objectives: With over one-fifth of the world’s older population, shrinking family size and increasing number of women in the workforce, elder care is a growing challenge for families in mainland China. This study explored the moderating effect of working status and gender on caregiving time and depressive symptoms among adult children caregivers in mainland China.Method: Participants were 660 adult children caregivers from a nationally representative sample of individuals aged 45 + (N = 13,204) who participated in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) Wave 2 (2013). Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the direct effect of caregiving time and the moderating effects of working status and gender on symptoms of depression among caregivers.Results: Significant main effect between caregiving time and depressive symptoms was found controlling for demographic covariates. The three-way interaction between working status, gender and caregiving time was also significant. Working status and gender moderate the effect of caregiving time on depressive symptoms: among employed men and women caregivers, spending more hours providing care predicted fewer depression symptoms. Unemployed men caregivers who spent more hours providing care showed highest level of depressive symptoms.Conclusion: The relationship between caregiving time and depressive symptoms was moderated by working status and gender. Future research is needed to explore factors that influence changes in caregivers’ health and well-being over time.

Men and older persons also care, but how much? Assessing amounts of caregiving in Spain and Sweden

We estimate how much caregiving men and women respectively do, and how much of the caregiving is done by older (65+) and younger persons, inside their household and for other households, in Spain and in Sweden. To assess this, we use self-reported hours of caregiving from two national surveys about caregiving, performed in 2014 (Spain, N = 2003; Sweden, N = 1193). Spain and Sweden have dissimilar household structures, and different social services for older (65+) persons. Caregivers, on average, provide many more hours of care in Spain than in Sweden. Women provide about 58% of all hours of caregiving, in Spain in all age groups, in Sweden only among younger caregivers. The reason is the dominance of partner caregivers among older Swedes, with older men and women providing equal hours of care. Family caregiving inside the household is more extensive in the more complex Spanish households than in Swedish households. Family care between households prevails in Sweden, where the large majority of older persons live with a partner only, or alone. This is increasingly common in Spain, although it remains at a lower level. We estimate that older persons provide between 22% and 33% of all hours of caregiving in Spain, and between 41% and 49% in Sweden. Patterns of caregiving appear to be determined mainly by demography and household structure.

A Fresh Look at Socio-demographics in Work-Family Conflict: A Cluster Analysis Approach.

An important gap in work-family literature is the understanding of how socio-demographic variables, such as sex, age, hours worked, age of youngest child, and household income may relate to work-family conflict. Using data from 667 individuals and longitudinal data from 1,007 caregivers, separate exploratory cluster analysis by gender provided a three cluster solution for caregiving men, non-caregiving men, and caregiving women and a four cluster solution for non-caregiving women. Differences in work interfering with family were found in the caregiving men, caregiving women, and non-caregiving women clusters. Non-caregiving men, non-caregiving women, and caregiving women had differential levels of family interfering with work by cluster. Cohen's D revealed that age had the largest effect size between clusters for individuals and caregivers. Findings and implications are discussed.

Sex disparities in access to caregiving in Parkinson disease.

To compare access to caregiving between men and women with Parkinson disease (PD). This was a cross-sectional and longitudinal study among participants with PD enrolled in the National Parkinson Foundation Parkinson's Outcomes Project from 2009 to 2014 at 21 international sites. The primary outcome measures were presence of a caregiver at the baseline visit, caregiver burden as measured by the Multidimensional Caregiver Strain Index (MCSI) at baseline, and time to first paid caregiver. A total of 7,209 participants (63% men, 37% women) with PD were evaluated. Men had a mean age of 66.0 (SD 9.8) years, and women had a mean age of 66.9 (SD 9.7) years. More men than women had a caregiver (88.4% vs 79.4%, p < 0.0001). Caregivers of men reported greater strain than those of women (MCSI score 19.9 vs 16.4, p < 0.0001). These differences persisted after controlling for age, disease stage, number of comorbidities, cognitive and mobility measures, and health-related quality of life. In addition, the odds of caregiver accompaniment at baseline visit were lower for women compared to men (odds ratio 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.67-0.86), and women had a faster rate to using a paid caregiver than men (hazard ratio 1.76, 95% CI 1.35-2.28) after controlling for potential confounders. Informal caregiving resources are lower for women than men with PD, despite the finding that their caregivers report less strain than those of men. In addition, women are more likely to use formal, paid caregivers. Strategies to improve access to caregiving, particularly for women, are needed.

Testosterone reactivity to infant crying and caregiving in women: The role of oral contraceptives and basal cortisol

Several studies have shown that mothers and fathers have significant lower levels of testosterone (T) than non-mothers and non-fathers, and that in men caregiving is related to a decrease in T. To date, only a few studies have examined T in women. We examined T reactivity to a crying infant simulator in 160 women. Use of oral contraceptives (OC), basal cortisol (CORT) levels and childhood experiences of maternal love withdrawal were taken into account. T levels were consistently significantly higher in women not using OC. In women not using OC, high basal CORT was related to higher initial T levels and larger decreases of T during caregiving. No effect of basal CORT was found in women with OC use. Childhood experiences of maternal love withdrawal did not affect T levels. This is the first study to show support for a decrease of T in women while taking care of a crying infant, supporting the Challenge hypothesis and the Steroid/Peptide Theory of Social Bonds.

Feelings of distance and proximity: exploring the emotional geographies of men caregiving for family members with multiple chronic conditions

Care exchanges are imbued with emotion, yet few geography of caregiving researchers have explored how emotions shape such experiences. Furthermore, the emotions of caregiver men have been largely overlooked. As such, this secondary analysis aims to geographically explore the emotion discourse of a diverse group of men caregiving for family members with multiple chronic conditions. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with nineteen men caregivers in Canada, our thematic findings reveal that the men’s discourse portrayed emotions experienced relationally at three levels: Between the caregivers and their own selves, others and the wider community. It was also found that the men commonly expressed their emotional experiences using geographic notions of distance (e.g. feeling far, isolated) and proximity (e.g. feeling close, connected) and that these emotions were further complicated by the participants’ diversity or situated ‘place-in-the-world’. Overall, our findings demonstrate the importance of emotional geographies in caregiver men’s lived realities and how they move between distance and proximity in order to manage their emotions as caregivers. By considering caregiver diversity and the role emotions play in shaping caregiver experiences, programs, services and best practice can become better informed on ways to enhance the provision of more context sensitive and equitable caregiver support.

Genderverschillen in gebruik van strategieën op het werk door mantelzorgers

Abstract This article provides insight in the extent to which female and male caregivers with a paid job apply working strategies differently, and whether a possible gender contrast can be explained by a higher caregiver burden. Data were collected in a survey conducted in the Netherlands among 1395 persons (594 men and 801 women) who combined informal caregiving with paid employment in 2014. Short-term leave is the preferred option for one out of three caregiving men and women. Reducing work hours and taking individual measures were more often applied by caregiving women, but men and women did not differ in the likelihood to quit working altogether. The higher likelihood to structurally reduce working hours among women was explained by their higher caregiving burden compared to men. Men and women who experience a high burden use different work strategies. Men who experience a high caregiving burden are more likely to take individual measures with their employer, while a higher burden is not related to taking such measures among women. Adequate use of work strategies by women needs attention by employers and policy makers, particularly because of their greater likelihood to become a caregiver and their higher burden of care compared to men.

Development of older men's caregiving roles for wives with dementia.

This secondary analysis of qualitative interviews describes how older Swedish men approach the caregiver role for a wife with dementia, over time. An increasing number of male caregivers will become primary caregivers for partners living with dementia at home, and they will likely be caregivers for an extended period of time. It has been stated that caregiving experiences influence how older men think of themselves. The theoretical starting point is a constructivist position, offering an understanding of older caregiving men's constructions and reconstructions of themselves and their caregiver roles. Seven men, who were cohabiting with their wives, were interviewed on up to five occasions at home during a 5- to 6-year period. The findings comprise three themes; me and it, me despite it, it is me, depict how these men gradually take on and normalise the caregiving tasks, and how they develop and internalise a language based on their caring activities. The results provide understanding about the relationship between men as caregivers and how this influences them as individuals. By careful attention to each caregiving man's individual needs rather than making gendered assumptions about men and caring, the aim of the caregiver support for men might best target men's own meaning to the caring in their the everyday practices.

An intersectional analysis of male caregiving in South African palliative care

abstractCare work is often feminised and invisible. Intangible components of care, such as emotional labour, are rarely recognised as economically valuable. Men engaging in care work can be stigmatised or simply made invisible for non-conformance to gender norms (Dworzanowski-Venter, 2008). Mburu et al (2014) and Chikovore et al (2016) have studied masculinity from an intersectional perspective, but male caregiving has not enjoyed sufficient intersectional focus. Intersectional analysis of male caregiving has the twin benefits of making ‘women’s work’ visible and finding ways to keep men involved in caring occupations. I foreground the class-gender intersection in this study of black male caregivers as emotional labourers involved in palliative care work in Gauteng (2005–2013). Informal AIDS care and specialist oncology nursing are contrasting cases of male care work presented in this article.Findings suggest that caregiving men interviewed for this study act in gender-disruptive ways and face a stigmatising social backlash in post-colonial South Africa. Oncology nursing has a professional cachet denied to informal sector caregivers. This professional status acts as a class-based insulator against oppressive gender-based stigma, for oncology nursing more closely aligns to an idealised masculinity. The closer to a ‘respectable’ middle-class identity, or bourgeois civility, the better for these men, who idealise traditionally white male formal sector occupations. However, this insulating effect relies on a denial of emotional aspects of care by male cancer nurses and a lack of activism around breaking down gendered notions of care work. Forming a guild of informal sector AIDs caregivers could add much-needed professional recognition and provide an organisational base for gender norm disruption through activism. This may help to retain more men in informal sector caregiving roles and challenge the norms that are used to stigmatise male caregiving work in general.

ADULT SONS PERCEPTIONS OF CARE

From a study, with face-to-face interviews with 19 caregiving men that provides care for an elderly parents or in-law, this presentation will bring attention to men’s perceptions of care and caregi ...

Exploring the daily geographies of diverse men caregiving for family members with multiple chronic conditions

Within Canada, it has been estimated that almost half of all family, also known as informal, caregivers are now men. However, the contributions and experiences of these caregiver men have received relatively little attention, particularly from geographies of care and caregiving researchers. This analysis hopes to shed light on the unique, yet diverse, experiences of men caregiving for persons with multiple chronic conditions in Canada. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with nineteen men caregivers in two provinces of Canada, this analysis aims to explore how social and physical axes of difference shape men’s daily lived geographies when providing care. Our thematic findings reveal that caregiving is experienced by participants at the three scalar levels of the body, the home and the community. Our intersectional analysis reveals that at each scalar level, being a man was not the only variable shaping caregiving experiences. Rather, it was also age, physical capacity, culture, socio-economic status, marital status, housing status, social connectedness, relationship to the care recipient and care recipients’ physical and mental capacity that shaped experiences and meanings of place during the caregiving process. Accounting for this diversity at each scale, our findings point to the unique stresses and challenges experienced. We conclude by emphasizing the significance in acknowledging the diverse challenges that exist for all caregivers in order to inform comprehensive and inclusive social policy that ultimately will produce equitable caregiver supports.

The Experience of Women Who Care for Spouses With Parkinson's Disease and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

ObjectiveTo describe the symptoms, bother, impact, and attribution of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and management strategies from the perspective of the spouse caregiver. DesignA qualitative descriptive design with semistructured interviews was guided by the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms and family systems theory. SettingWomen were recruited from a Parkinson’s Center at a Veterans Affairs hospital in the northeastern part of the United States. Their veteran husbands received care for Parkinson's disease at the center. ParticipantsParticipants were 15 female spouse caregivers of men with Parkinson's disease and associated LUTS. MethodsPurposive sampling was used to select caregiver participants for audiotaped interviews. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the participants. A directed content analysis was used to code transcribed interviews and field notes. ResultsThe cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of caring for a spouse with LUTS were identified. Participants were knowledgeable about the direct effect of Parkinson's disease on the bladder. Their affective responses included experiencing bother, emotional distress from the impact of LUTS on their lives, and empathy for their husbands. Participants tried many behavioral strategies to manage LUTS but received limited professional assistance for daily LUTS management. ConclusionMultidisciplinary, patient- and family-centered approaches that provide education, treatment, and support are needed to promote better management of LUTS, maintain patient dignity, and reduce burden for the patient and family.

Faith, Work, and Reciprocity: Listening to Mexican Men Caregivers of Elderly Family Members.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the role of Mexican men caregivers of older adults. Studies investigating male caregiving practice in Mexico are lacking. Listening events for older adults and family caregivers were held in six cities, obtaining an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of 121 participants-81 older adults and 57 primary caregivers (including 17 older adults). Focus groups discussed end-of-life issues and challenges of care. Discussions were audio recorded and field notes were made. Framework Analysis was used to analyze data. Nationally, 37% of the caregivers were men. In the metropolitan area of Mexico City, 57% of caregivers were men. The men caregivers discussed their roles and experiences. The results were categorized into three themes: (a) reciprocity in family caregiving, (b) a practical work-oriented attitude toward caregiving, and (c) strong religious faith. Caregiving formed an important part of their masculine role. Stereotypes related to gender and care should be reexamined. Further research is needed to explore gender variations in caregiving, evolving gender roles, and needs for support and services.

Double- and Triple-Duty Caregiving Men: An Examination of Subjective Stress and Perceived Schedule Control.

Based on the stress process model of family caregiving, this study examined subjective stress appraisals and perceived schedule control among men employed in the long-term care industry (workplace-only caregivers) who concurrently occupied unpaid family caregiving roles for children (double-duty child caregivers), older adults (double-duty elder caregivers), and both children and older adults (triple-duty caregivers). Survey responses from 123 men working in nursing home facilities in the United States were analyzed using multiple linear regression models. Results indicated that workplace-only and double- and triple-duty caregivers' appraised primary stress similarly. However, several differences emerged with respect to secondary role strains, specifically work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intentions. Schedule control also constituted a stress buffer for double- and triple-duty caregivers, particularly among double-duty elder caregivers. These findings contribute to the scarce literature on double- and triple-duty caregiving men and have practical implications for recruitment and retention strategies in the health care industry.

The impact of fathers on maltreated youths' mental health

Men are increasingly the heads of single parent households, yet are often excluded from child welfare research and practice. To better serve all families in the child welfare system, it is necessary to understand the impact of primary caregiving men on children's wellbeing. In this study we investigated the longitudinal effects of primary caregiving fathers' mental health and substance use on child mental health, and examined possible differences by child age and gender. Regression analyses were conducted with the sample of 322 youth living with a male primary caregiver at the first wave of data collection from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Wellbeing-II (NSCAW-II). We found that father depression at baseline consistently predicted child mental health outcomes three years later, even after accounting for demographics and baseline child mental health. Surprisingly, fathers' substance use did not predict child mental health, and interactions with child age and gender were not significant. Our findings are consistent with a small but growing literature suggesting that efforts to improve engagement of and attention to fathers within research, clinical and policy efforts are likely to be worthwhile.

From Acute Palliation to Chronic Care: Using the Narratives of Two Gay Caregivers to Explore Experiences of Providing HIV Support Across Sociohistorical Contexts

Despite the longstanding shift in conceptualizing HIV/AIDS as a site of chronic care, versus one of acute palliation, few attempts have been made to examine caregiving in the context of this change. This study constitutes a preliminary attempt at exploring the evolving nature of HIV/AIDS caregiving among sexual minorities, primarily by comparing the narratives of two partnered caregivers of HIV-positive gay men whose stories are located in disparate sociohistorical contexts. Whereas one caregiver provided support during an era in which HIV/AIDS was primarily conceptualized as acutely life-limiting, the other did so in the contemporary period of chronic HIV care. Although similarities are noted across the stories, distinctions are also apparent in how the caregivers encounter expressions of homophobia and HIV stigma, and negotiate these realities distinctly as a function of sociohistorical context. In particular, despite the salience of these systemic barriers across the two narratives, these expressions of marginalization appear to occur more routinely and indefinitely in the context of chronic care. This article concludes with implications of the study's findings on theory, research, policy, and practice.

A Disproportionate Burden of Care: Gender Differences in Mental Health, Health-Related Quality of Life, and Social Support in Mexican Multiple Sclerosis Caregivers

Background. Multiple sclerosis (MS) rates in Latin America are increasing, and caregivers there experience reduced mental and physical health. Based on rigid gender roles in Latin America, women more often assume caregiving duties, yet the differential impact on women of these duties is unknown. Methods. This study examined gender differences in mental health (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Zarit Burden Inventory), health-related quality of life (HRQOL; Short Form-36), and social support (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List-12) in 81 (66.7% women) Mexican MS caregivers. Results. As compared to men caregivers, women had lower mental health (p = 0.006), HRQOL (p < 0.001), and social support (p < 0.001). This was partially explained by women caregivers providing care for nearly twice as many hours/week as men (79.28 versus 48.48, p = 0.018) and for nearly three times as many months (66.31 versus 24.30, p = 0.002). Conclusions. Because gender roles in Latin America influence women to assume more substantial caregiving duties, MS caregiver interventions in Latin America—particularly for women caregivers—should address the influence of gender-role conformity on care and psychosocial functioning.

Caracterización y carga del cuidado en hombres cuidadores familiares de personas con enfermedad crónica en colombia.

Objetivo. Describir y comparar las características y percepción de carga del cuidado de hombres cuidadores familiares de personas con enfermedad crónica en diversas regiones de Colombia.Método. Estudio descriptivo, comparativo, transversal con una muestra por conveniencia de 372 cuidadores familiares hombres de personas con enfermedad crónica de las diferentes regiones geográficas de Colombia. Se emplearon los instrumentos GCPC-UN-C para la caracterización y la encuesta de percepción de Sobrecarga del Cuidador de Zarit para determinar la carga percibida.Resultados: Los cuidadores familiares del estudio residentes en Colombia son en 83% de los casos de la región andina, 7% del Pacífico, 4% de la Orinoquía, 4% del Caribe y 2% de la Amazonía. La edad promedio es de 50 años, en su mayoría esposos, hijos o padres del receptor del cuidado, dedican al menos una cuarta parte del día al cuidado, y la mayoría lleva más de 36 meses como cuidadores. El 22% de ellos percibe sobrecarga intensa con el cuidado.Conclusiones. Tendencias demográficas y laborales dan mayor protagonismo masculino en el cuidado de familiares enfermos. La caracterización de hombres cuidadores familiares de personas con enfermedad crónica en Colombia, incluida su percepción de carga con el cuidado, aporta al conocimiento de esta población como base de construcción de respuestas específicas a sus necesidades.

Caregiver Well-Being: Intersections of Relationship and Gender.

We know much about caregiving women compared with caregiving men and caregiving spouses compared with caregiving adult children. We know less about the intersections of relationship and gender. This article explores this intersection through the well-being (burden and self-esteem) of caregivers to family members with dementia. Throughout British Columbia, Canada, 873 caregivers were interviewed in person for on average, over 1½ hours. The results reveal that daughters experience the highest burden but also the highest self-esteem, suggesting the role is less salient for their self-identities. Wives emerge as the most vulnerable of the four groups when both burden and self-esteem are considered. The data confirm the usefulness of the intersectionality framework for understanding co-occupancy of more than one status and indicate that positive cognitive well-being and negative affective well-being can be differentially related. Multivariate analyses confirm the importance of caregiver, not patient, characteristics for burden and self-esteem.