Year: 2019
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Existing literature on later-life spousal caregiving tends to focus on one member of the marital dyads, assuming a priori distinction between the caregiver and care-receiver. Theoretically and empirically, this individualistic role-related (caregiver-receiver) approach is inaccurate, as the concept of spousal care intrinsically involves two people within a marital dyad. Therefore, this paper used a social exchange perspective to re-conceptualize spousal caregiving as a dyad-level phenomenon. Using the 2014 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, 6,500 individuals (3,250 couples) aged 65 and above and their spouse were selected. Based on each partner’s need for care, receipt of spousal care, and provision of spousal care, the study identified five distinctive caregiving typologies. Household-level factors such as the availability of other types of informal care were associated with these typologies. This paper offers a broader and more dynamic perspective of the spousal caregiving experiences.
Source: Innovation in Aging
Authors: Yuekang Li, Huiying Liu, Yi Wang, Nancy Morrow-Howell
Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis, University of Hong Kong
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,977
OpenAlex ID: W2987248708