Mental Health Benefits and Detriments of Caregiving Demands: A Nonlinear Association in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

OBJECTIVES: This study examines whether the association between caregiving demands and mental health is non-linear and also, whether this non-linear association is contingent on the marital status of the caregiver. METHODS: We analyze the data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, applying OLS regression and quadratic interaction terms. RESULTS: A lower level of demands is salubriously associated with symptoms of depression and life satisfaction, but this association becomes deleterious at higher levels of demands. Moreover, a connection to a marital partner extends the benefits of caregiving demands and stems the adverse consequences. DISCUSSION: This research shows that acts of caregiving may not themselves be detrimental. Instead, the degree and way in which caregiving relates to mental health may vary by both the extent of the demands of the caregiving role and familial relationships in which caregivers are embedded.