FACTORS INFLUENCING PARENTAL CAREGIVING BY ADULT WOMEN - VARIATIONS BY CARE INTENSITY AND DURATION

This article examines a variety of demographic and structural characte ristics that influence the provision of care to elderly parents by adu lt daughters. In particular, variations in these characteristics by th e duration and intensity of care provision are examined. Age, educatio n, and marital status are found to be the most important individual ch aracteristics influencing the provision of care. Parental age, the num ber of Living parents, and the proximity of parents and daughters are also important. However, when caregivers are examined by the duration and intensity of their care, only parental age is consistently related to care. Geographic proximity does not appear significant for women w ho are providing short, intense periods of care, implying that ''crisi s'' care is undertaken by women despite their distance from parents. T his research highlights the importance of distinguishing among differe nt types of caregiving.