Informal Caregiver Stress

Research shows the stressful demands of caregiving to older family members can have negative effects on physical health. The effects on physical health may include: immune system functioning, heart rate reactivity, raised blood pressure levels, and increased risk of mortality among older spousal caregivers. Gender differences in caregivers' outcomes exist because, compared with male caregivers, female caregivers face higher levels of caregiving stressors, have fewer social resources, and report lower levels of psychological and physical health. Gender and education effects on health show that female caregivers experience more stress and have poorer health than male caregivers. African-Americans, unlike White caregivers, are more likely to provide care in collectivist versus individualistic caregiving systems. In the same notion, African-American caregivers are less likely to utilize formal support systems and African-Americans expressed stronger cultural reasons for providing care.