Growing Pains in Aging China: Parental Caregiving and Health Implications in Women
1909.ris
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Using multiple waves of data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) in 1991, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, and 2009, I examine the patterns and health implications of parental caregiving in China. The findings show that approximately 8% of women between the ages of 18 and 52 provide care to their aging parents, parents-in-law, or both. On average, caregivers spend 11 hours per week on caregiving. I find that sociodemographic characteristics, socioeconomic resources, social roles, caregiving risks, and community characteristics are important predictors of transitions to caregiving and the time spent on caregiving. Results demonstrate that caregivers and non-caregivers with parents in need have worse self-reported health than non-caregivers without caregiving responsibilities. After initially low levels of health, caregivers--especially those who provide high-intensity care--exhibit levels of health that are comparable to non-caregivers. However, this pattern of adaptation is followed by a precipitous decline in health in later years. Overall, the findings support role strain theory and provide some evidence for the role adaptation and wear-and-tear hypotheses in a life course framework.
THES
Liu, Guangya
Chen, Feinian Aldige Virginia
2012
3538287
186
North Carolina State University
Ann Arbor
9781303008078
1909