Negative and Positive Caregiving Experiences: A Closer Look at the Intersection of Gender and Relationship

Family Relations

Volumn 61, Issue 2, 2012, Pages 343-358

  Lin, I Fen ^a   Fee, Holly R ^a   Wu, Hsueh Sheng ^a  

^a BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Burnout; Family Caregivers; Interference; Personal Gratification; Strain

Indexed keywords

EID: 84863243408     PISSN: 01976664     EISSN: 17413729     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2011.00692.x     Document Type: Article

References (53)

1. Acock, A. C. (2005). Working with missing values. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 1012-1028.
2. Barber, C. E., & Lyness, K. P. (2001). Ethical issues in family care of older persons with dementia: Implications for family therapists. Home Health Care Services Quarterly, 20, 1-26.
3. Bollen, K. A. (1989). Structural equations with latent variables. New York, NY: Wiley.
4. Brewster, K. L., & Padavic, I. (2000). Change in gender-ideology, 1977-1996: The contributions of intracohort change and population turnover. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 477-487.
5. Brody, E. M. (2004). Women in the middle: Their parent care years (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
6. Burns, R., Nichols, L. O., Martindale-Adams, J., Graney, M. J., & Lummus, A. (2003). Primary care interventions for dementia caregivers: 2-year outcomes from the REACH study. The Gerontologist, 43, 547-555.
7. Calasanti, T., & King, N. (2007). Taking 'women's work''like a man': Husbands' experiences of care work. The Gerontologist, 47, 516-527.
8. Collins, L. M., Murphy, S. A., & Bierman, K. L. (2004). A conceptual framework for adaptive preventive interventions. Prevention Science, 5, 185-196.
9. Dwyer, J. W., Lee, G. R., & Jankowski, T. B. (1994). Reciprocity, elder satisfaction, and caregiver stress and burden: The exchange of aid in the family caregiving relationship. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 56, 35-43.
10. Feinberg, L., Reinhard, S. C., Houser, A., & Choula, R. (2011). Valuing the invaluable: 2011 update, the growing contributions and costs of family caregiving. Washington, DC: AARP Public Policy Institute. Retrieved from
11. Fruhauf, C. A., & Aberle, J. T. (2007). Women caring for partners with dementia: A contextual model. In D. Linville, K. M. Hertlein, & Associates (Eds.), The therapist's notebook for family health care: Homework, handouts, and activities for individuals, couples, and families coping with illness, loss, and disability (pp. 157-165). Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Press.
12. Fruhauf, C. A., Jarrott, S. E., & Allen, K. R. (2006). Grandchildren's perceptions of caring for grandparents. Journal of Family Issues, 27, 887-911.
13. Gonyea, J. G., Paris, R., & Zerden, L. d. S. (2008). Adult daughters and aging mothers: The role of guilt in the experience of caregiver burden. Aging & Mental Health, 12, 559-567.
14. Harris, P. B. (2002). The voices of husbands and sons caring for a family member with dementia. In B. J. Kramer & E. H. Thompson Jr. (Eds.), Men as caregivers: Theory, research, and service implications (pp. 213-233). New York, NY: Springer.
15. Hébert, R., Lévesque, L., Vézina, J., Lavoie, J.-P., Ducharme, F., Gendron, C., Préville, M., Voyer, L., & Dubois, M.-F. (2003). Efficacy of a psychoeducative group program for caregivers of demented persons living at home: A randomized controlled trial. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58, 58-67.
16. Henretta, J. C., Hill, M. S., Li, W., Soldo, B. J., & Wolf, D. A. (1997). Selection of children to provide care: The effect of earlier parental transfers. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 52, 110-119.
17. Hu, L.-T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1-55.
18. Ingersoll-Dayton, B., & Raschick, M. (2004). The relationship between care-recipient behaviors and spousal caregiving stress. The Gerontologist, 44, 318-327.
19. Johnson, R. W., & Wiener, J. M. (2006). A profile of frail older Americans and their caregivers. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. Retrieved from
20. Kang, S. Y. (2006). Predictors of emotional strain among spouse and adult child caregivers. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 47, 107-131.
21. Kasper, J. D., Steinbach, U., & Andrews, J. (1994). Caregiver role appraisal and caregiver tasks as factors in ending caregiving. Journal of Aging and Health, 6, 397-414.
22. Kramer, B. J. (1997). Gain in the caregiving experience: Where are we? What next? The Gerontologist, 37, 218-232.
23. Lawton, M. P., Moss, M., Kleban, M. H., Glicksman, A., & Rovine, M. (1991). The two-factor model of caregiving appraisal and psychological well-being. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 46, 181-189.
24. Lee, G. R., Netzer, J. K., & Coward, R. T. (1994). Filial responsibility expectations and patterns of intergenerational assistance. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 56, 559-565.
25. Li, L. W., Seltzer, M. M., & Greenberg, J. S. (1997). Social support and depressive symptoms: Differential patterns in wife and daughter caregivers. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 52, 200-211.
26. Lutzky, S. M., & Knight, B. G. (1994). Explaining gender differences in caregiver distress: The roles of emotional attentiveness and coping styles. Psychology and Aging, 9, 513-519.
27. Manton, K. G., Gu, X., & Lamb, V. L. (2006). Change in chronic disability from 1982 to 2004/2005 as measured by long-term changes in function and health in the U.S. elderly population. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 103, 18374-18379.
28. Marks, N. F., Lambert, J. D., & Choi, H. (2002). Transitions to caregiving, gender, and psychological well-being: A prospective U.S. national study. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 657-667.
29. Matthews, S. H. (2002). Brothers and parent care: An explanation for sons' underrepresentation. In B. J. Kramer & E. H. Thompson Jr. (Eds.), Men as caregivers: Theory, research, and service implications (pp. 234-249). New York, NY: Springer.
30. Miller, B., Townsend, A., Carpenter, E., Montgomery, R. V. J., Stull, D., & Young, R. F. (2001). Social support and caregiver distress: A replication analysis. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 56, 249-256.
31. Mui, A. C. (1995). Caring for frail elderly parents: A comparison of adult sons and daughters. The Gerontologist, 35, 86-93.
32. Mullan, J. T. (1992). The bereaved caregiver: A prospective study of changes in well-being. The Gerontologist, 32, 673-683.
33. Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (2010). Mplus: Statistical analysis with latent variables (Version 6.1). Los Angeles, CA: Author.
34. National Alliance for Caregiving. (2009). Caregiving in the U.S.: A focused look at those caring for the 50+. Retrieved from
35. Neal, M. B., Ingersoll-Dayton, B., & Starrels, M. E. (1997). Gender and relationship differences in caregiving patterns and consequences among employed caregivers. The Gerontologist, 37, 804-816.
36. Orel, N. A., & Dupuy, P. (2002). Grandchildren as auxiliary caregivers for grandparents with cognitive and/or physical limitations: Coping strategies and ramifications. Child Study Journal, 32, 193-213.
37. Pearlin, L. I., Mullan, J. T., Semple, S. J., & Skaff, M. M. (1990). Caregiving and the stress process: An overview of concepts and their measures. The Gerontologist, 30, 583-594.
38. Pinquart, M., & Sörensen, S. (2003). Associations of stressors and uplifts of caregiving with caregiver burden and depressive mood: A meta-analysis. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58, 112-128.
39. Pinquart, M., & Sörensen, S. (2005). Ethnic differences in stressors, resources, and psychological outcomes of family caregiving: A meta-analysis. The Gerontologist, 45, 90-106.
40. Pinquart, M., & Sörensen, S. (2006). Gender differences in caregiver stressors, social resources, and health: An updated meta-analysis. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 61, 33-45.
41. Ramsey, J. L. (2008). Forgiveness and healing in later life. Generations, 32, 51-54.
42. Raschick, M., & Ingersoll-Dayton, B. (2004). The costs and rewards of caregiving among aging spouses and adult children. Family Relations, 53, 317-325.
43. Royston, P. (2004). Multiple imputation of missing values. The Stata Journal, 4, 227-241.
44. Royston, P. (2005). Multiple imputation of missing values: Update. The Stata Journal, 5, 188-201.
45. Scharlach, A., Li, W., & Dalvi, T. B. (2006). Family conflict as a mediator of caregiver strain. Family Relations, 55, 625-635.
46. Schulz, R., O'Brien, A. T., Bookwala, J., & Fleissner, K. (1995). Psychiatric and physical morbidity effects of dementia caregiving: Prevalence, correlates, and causes. The Gerontologist, 35, 771-791.
47. Stephens, M. A. P., Townsend, A. L., Martire, L. M., & Druley, J. A. (2001). Balancing parent care with other roles: Interrole conflict of adult daughter caregivers. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 56, 24-34.
48. Strawbridge, W. J., & Wallhagen, M. I. (1991). Impact of family conflict on adult child caregivers. The Gerontologist, 31, 770-777.
49. Tarlow, B. J., Wisniewski, S. R., Belle, S. H., Rubert, M., Ory, M. G., & Gallagher-Thompson, D. (2004). Positive aspects of caregiving: Contributions of the REACH project to the development of new measures for Alzheimer's caregiving. Research on Aging, 26, 429-453.
50. Walker, A. J., Pratt, C. C., & Eddy, L. (1995). Informal caregiving to aging family members: A critical review. Family Relations, 44, 402-411.
51. Wolff, J. L., & Kasper, J. D. (2006). Caregivers of frail elders: Updating a national profile. The Gerontologist, 46, 344-356.
52. Yee, J. L., & Schulz, R. (2000). Gender differences in psychiatric morbidity among family caregivers: A review and analysis. The Gerontologist, 40, 147-164.
53. Zarit, S. H., Kim, K., Femia, E. E., Almeida, D. M., Savla, J., & Molenaar, P. C. M. (2011). Effects of adult day care on daily stress of caregivers: A within-person approach. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 66, 538-546.