THE PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN MIDLIFE AND LATE ADULTHOOD

摘要

In contrasts to other types of family caregiving, providing care for a son/daughter with a developmental disability (DD) often is lifelong and persists into late adulthood. The caregiving responsibilities become more difficult to manage as these caregivers begin to experience the health and cognitive changes associated with aging. Despite the increasing life expectancy of individuals with DD and their reliance on family members for care in adulthood, the family caregiving literature has paid less attention to the psychosocial well-being of this group of caregivers in the context of other family caregivers. Utilizing data from National Survey of Midlife in the United States (MIDUS-II), this study examines the effects of caregiver types (caregivers of sons/daughters with DD, parent, spousal/partner, and parent-in-law) on psychosocial well-being (e.g., Ryff’s psychological well-being, positiveegative affect, subjective aging, generativity). A sample of 405 midlife and older adults (M=56.01, SD=11.26) who provided care to a family member completed a set of interview and questionnaires. Regression analyses showed that caregivers of sons/daughters with DD exhibited the lowest levels of environmental mastery and perception of generativity, highest level of negative affect, and older subjective age as compared to other family caregivers. Of all the family caregivers, parent-in-law caregivers exhibited the most positive psychosocial well-being. Additionally, gender moderated the associations between caregiver types and psychosocial well-being. Study findings can help inform outreach programs and services aimed at family caregivers by highlighting the nuances in needs across different types of family caregivers in midlife and late adulthood.