Sandwich Generation Caregiving During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- ISBN-10
- ISBN-13
- 9798841748557
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2022
- Author
- Shauna C. Leahy
Description
Family caregivers experience more negative health impacts and burden than non-caregivers. Sandwich generation caregivers are defined as individuals who have responsibilities over both children and elderly parent(s). They also have higher caregiver burden and negative health outcomes associated with their role. Demographic trends have shown that more adult children are taking on the responsibility of their parents than in recent decades, and with the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the burden of caregiving seems to be increasing. Although research has explored the burden of caregiving on sandwich generation individuals in the broader health and social science literature, little is known about COVID-19 and its specific effects on caregiver burden. This research project aims to answer the following questions: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, to what extent has caregiver burden impacted the stress of sandwich generation individuals in terms of self-rated scales and personal narratives? To what extent do demographic factors, such as gender, age, race, number of children, and income, as well as self-rated mental and physical health, affect this caregiving stress? In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, how does the living situation of elder family members, whether these elder family members are residing with caregivers or live outside of the home, impact caregiving stress? This study employs a systematic social media recruitment approach to recruit responses for a survey encompassing these topics. Implications for this research include: expanding the literature on caregiver burden, sandwich generation caregivers, pandemic family roles, and identifying potential policy solutions in supporting caregivers to thrive.
