Antecedents and Outcomes of Enrichment Among Working Family Caregivers of People With Dementia: A Longitudinal Analysis.

OBJECTIVES

Despite evidence of negative aspects of the work-caregiving interface (e.g., work-family conflict) among family caregivers of people with dementia (PWD), little is known about the positive aspects (e.g., enrichment). We examined antecedents and outcomes of family-to-work enrichment (FWE) and work-to-family enrichment (WFE) among working family caregivers of PWD. In terms of antecedents, we investigated whether factors that alleviated work-family conflict increased enrichment.

METHOD

We conducted a 3-wave 6-month-interval longitudinal online survey of Japanese working family caregivers of PWD (N = 747). We examined the mediational effects of WFE and FWE on associations between participants' work resources (job control, supervisor support, co-worker support, and organizational support) and caregiving support and their well-being (psychological distress and quality of life). We also examined the moderating effect of caregiving self-efficacy on the relationships between caregiving support/caregiving demands and FWE.

RESULTS

Our longitudinal analysis confirmed supervisor support had a positive effect on WFE. FWE had no significant longitudinal mediating effect on the association between caregiving support and well-being, and self-efficacy had no longitudinal moderating effect on FWE.

DISCUSSION

Supervisor support is important for WFE, but greater enrichment does not necessarily improve family caregiver well-being. Caregiving experience (i.e., caregiving demands and caregiving support) has little effect on the work-caregiving interface. Policy makers should focus on supporting companies to create family-friendly work environments. More research is needed on factors that increase FWE and moderate the relationship between enrichment and working family caregivers' well-being.