Lasting impact of relationships on caregiving difficulties, burden, and rewards

Abstract

© The Author(s) 2022.A burgeoning literature considers caregiving in a relationship context and examines how the quality of caregivers relationships with care recipients influences their own appraisals of caregiving. Yet, extant research has mostly relied on cross-sectional data and utilized a unidimensional approach to examining relationship quality. This study extended prior research by examining (a) how positive and negative relationship qualities are associated with changes in caregiving appraisals over time, and (b) whether these associations vary by care recipients age and disabilities. We examined a longitudinal cohort of caregivers (N = 1,453, Mage = 62.11) from the National Study of Caregiving (wave 1: 2015, wave 2: 2017), in which caregivers rated positive and negative qualities of their relationships with care recipients aged 65+ (N = 1,047, Mage = 82.89), and reported on difficulties, burden, and rewards while serving as caregivers. Path analyses revealed that negative relationship quality at wave 1 was associated with increased difficulties and burden of caregiving over time, whereas positive relationship quality at wave 1 was associated with increased caregiver rewards. The associations between relationship qualities and caregiving difficulties as well as rewards varied depending on care recipients age and disabilities. Having negative relationships with care recipients was only associated with increased difficulties for caregivers who had younger care recipients, whereas having positive relationships was only linked to increased rewards for those with older care recipients. We also found that positive relationships were significantly associated with increased rewards in caregivers whose care recipients had fewer disabilities. This study refines our understanding of the role relationship quality plays in caregiving and highlights the lasting effects of relationships with care recipients on caregivers appraisals. Findings may help identify caregivers at greater risk for negative outcomes and suggest incorporation of relationship therapies in interventions to facilitate affection and attenuate conflicts in caregiving relationships.