Heller School for Social Policy and Management and the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, Brandeis University, 415 South St., Waltham, MA 02453, USA.
Psychiatr Serv. 2012 Nov;63(11):1118-24. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201200014.
This study examined the effects on well-being of a spouse's disability among aging parents already serving as caregivers of adult children with severe mental illness or a developmental disability.
The study sample consisted of two groups of participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study of 1957 high school graduates and their randomly selected siblings-those who had a child with a disability (N=227) and a matched comparison group of parents who did not have a child with a disability (N=1,463). The participants were surveyed in 1992-1994 and 2004-2006, and participants with a spouse with a disability in 1992-1994 were excluded from the analysis. The effect of multiple caregiving roles was investigated by using regression analysis.
Parents of adult children with severe mental illness were more likely than either parents of adult children with developmental disabilities or the comparison group to report that their spouse developed a disability in the early retirement years. The experience of caring for a spouse with a disability and the experience of caring for an adult child with disabilities had additive effects in eroding the well-being of older adults. Parents of adult children with severe mental illness in general had the lowest levels of well-being.
As they move into their retirement years, aging parents who care for children with long-term disabilities are likely to experience multiple caregiving responsibilities. Service providers must address the needs of these aging parents and develop interventions to help them cope and plan for their future.
本研究考察了配偶残疾对已经照顾成年患有严重精神疾病或发育障碍子女的老年父母幸福感的影响。
研究样本由参加 1957 年威斯康星州高中毕业生纵向研究的两组参与者及其随机选择的兄弟姐妹组成——那些有残疾子女的参与者（N=227）和没有残疾子女的匹配对照组父母（N=1463）。参与者在 1992-1994 年和 2004-2006 年接受了调查，1992-1994 年有残疾配偶的参与者被排除在分析之外。通过回归分析研究了多种照顾角色的影响。
与患有发育障碍的成年子女的父母或对照组相比，患有严重精神疾病的成年子女的父母更有可能报告其配偶在提前退休年龄出现残疾。照顾残疾配偶和照顾残疾成年子女的经历对老年人幸福感的侵蚀具有累加效应。一般来说，患有严重精神疾病成年子女的父母幸福感最低。
随着他们进入退休年龄，照顾长期残疾子女的老年父母可能会承担多种照顾责任。服务提供者必须满足这些老年父母的需求，并制定干预措施帮助他们应对并规划未来。
