Generativity, eldercare and women's midlife well -being.

Abstract

Research has documented that eldercare often negatively affects women's midlife well-being. However, according to some scholars, midlife may also be women's prime of life; for example, Erikson's (1950/1963) developmental stage of generativity is associated with positive midlife well-being. This study was prompted by the question of the compatibility of these two general findings. Participants were 101 women from a longitudinal study of the Radcliffe Class of 1964 (median age 53), including 36 women who were caregiving for an aging parent or relative. This study tested a version of Pearlin et al.'s (1990) caregiver stress model. It was expected that appraisal of caregiving would mediate the relationship between caregiving and psychological well-being; however, in this sample, eldercare was not associated with lower overall well-being. The model also predicted that appraisal would mediate the relationship between generativity and well-being and having a generative perspective on caregiving would mediate that between generativity and appraisal of caregiving. None of these hypotheses were supported. However, results showed that caregivers were more anxious than non-caregivers but were not different on depression, zest, or life satisfaction. Caregivers who provided help with several instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) tasks were more anxious and less satisfied than caregivers who helped with fewer IADLs. Analyses suggested that worrying about caregiving may affect more aspects of well-being than caregiving does. The presence of a spouse or sibling related to worry about caregiving and to having a generative perspective on eldercare. Results confirmed that generativity was related to positive well-being but not that women concerned about generativity would be more likely to see the generative benefits in caregiving. Also, caregivers who were caring for a cognitively impaired elder were significantly lower in general generative concern than those caregiving for a cognitively intact individual. Finally, living with one's care-recipient related to lower depression. Findings suggest that eldercare and midlife personality may be related in some way, however further research is needed to identify the details of this relationship. Specifically, findings suggest that it might be useful to focus future studies on different contexts (marriage, the presence of siblings) and conditions (type, frequency, duration) of caregiving and how they relate to personality development and other significant markers of midlife, rather than well-being.