Labbas Elisa, Stanfors Maria
Centre for Economic Demography, Lund University, PO Box 7080, 220 07, Lund, Sweden.
Eur J Popul. 2023 Jun 28;39(1):18. doi: 10.1007/s10680-023-09666-3.
Given population ageing and the emphasis on in-home care, more working-age adults are facing the demands of providing unpaid care to the elderly with potential implications for their own well-being. Such effects likely vary across Europe because care is differently organized with a differing emphasis on public support, dependence on family, and orientation toward gender equality. We studied the relationship between unpaid caregiving for elderly parents and the psychological well-being of older working-age (50-64) men and women by analysing data from the Survey of Health, Retirement, and Ageing in Europe (SHARE), covering 18 countries between 2004 and 2020 (N = 24,338), using ordinary least squares (OLS). We examined risk of depression by caregiving intensity and tested whether coresidence mediated outcomes. Men and women providing care to parents experience important psychological well-being losses across Europe, especially when caregiving is intensive. A heavier caregiving burden associated with coresidence explains a regime gradient in depression, not least for women in Southern Europe. Results highlight the spillover costs of unpaid caregiving across Europe and the need to address caregiver psychological well-being, especially in contexts where state support for elder care is low and coresidence is common.
鉴于人口老龄化以及对居家护理的重视，越来越多处于工作年龄的成年人面临着为老年人提供无偿护理的需求，这可能会对他们自身的幸福产生影响。这种影响在欧洲各地可能有所不同，因为护理的组织方式不同，对公共支持、对家庭的依赖以及对性别平等的重视程度也不同。我们通过分析欧洲健康、退休和老龄化调查（SHARE）的数据，研究了照顾年迈父母的无偿护理与年龄较大的工作年龄（50 - 64岁）男性和女性心理健康之间的关系。该调查涵盖2004年至2020年间的18个国家（N = 24,338），采用普通最小二乘法（OLS）。我们通过护理强度来研究抑郁症风险，并测试同住是否会影响结果。在欧洲，为父母提供护理的男性和女性都经历了重要的心理健康损失，尤其是在护理强度较大时。与同住相关的更重护理负担解释了抑郁症的一种模式梯度，尤其是对南欧的女性而言。研究结果凸显了欧洲各地无偿护理的溢出成本，以及解决照顾者心理健康问题的必要性，特别是在国家对老年护理支持较低且同住情况普遍的背景下。
