ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Role theory suggests occupying simultaneous family caregiving and employment roles in midlife may exert positive and negative effects on psychological health. However, there is a lack of causal evidence examining the degree to which combinations of these roles influence psychological health at the intersection of gender and racial identity. METHODS: Longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (2004-2018) are used to estimate a series of individual fixed effects models examining combinations of employment status and parental caregiving situation on Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) depression scores among Black and White men and women aged 50-65. Subsequent models were stratified by intensity of caregiving situation and work schedule. RESULTS: Individual fixed effects models demonstrate combining work, and parental caregiving is associated with greater depressive symptoms than only working, and with lower depressive symptoms than only caregiving, suggesting that paid employment exerts a protective effect on psychological health whereas parental caregiving may be a risk factor for depressive symptoms in later life. Analyses using an intersectional lens found that combining paid work with parental caregiving exerted a protective effect on CES-D scores among White women and men regardless of participants' intensity of care situation or work schedule. This effect was not present for Black men and women. DISCUSSION: Accounting for intersectionality is imperative to research on family caregiving, work, and psychological health.
Subject(s)
Caregivers , Depression , Employment , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Black or African American/psychology , Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , Caregivers/psychology , Caregivers/statistics & numerical data , Depression/psychology , Depression/epidemiology , Depression/ethnology , Employment/psychology , Longitudinal Studies , Mental Health , Parents/psychology , White People/statistics & numerical data , White People/psychology , WhiteABSTRACT
The past twenty years have seen a surge of resources for and public attention devoted to civic participation opportunities for older adults in the United States. At the same time, technology has transformed the way information related to political and social issues is spread and shared. As more older adults migrate to using a wider range of communication tools and the internet, technology-mediated forms of engagement represent a new way for the oldest old to participate in society. In this study, a panel of adults ages 85 and older was surveyed to understand their experiences engaging with political and social issues. Responses to a questionnaire (N = 24) and focus groups (n = 22) indicate the oldest old are interested in social and political issues, and there are opportunities for technology to facilitate the oldest olds' civic and political action. This study identifies roles social workers may play in helping the oldest old engage with social and political issues in their communities.
