Multigenerational caregiving and well-being: Distress of middle-aged daughters providing assistance to elderly parents

This article investigates whether being a caregiver of an elderly parent an d the caregiver's involvement in multiple roles increases distress in middl e-aged women. Previous studies assumed that providing care to frail parents causes distress in women, in particular when they have other social roles as well. Longitudinal data were collected within a cohort of middle-aged wo men (n = 934; n = 743). The acquisition or loss of the caregiver role did n ot appear to affect levels of distress of middle-aged women, nor did additi onal roles of caregivers increase distress levels or caregiver role strain. Most distressed were women not performing any major social role, suggestin g that the lack of social roles rather than the multiplicity of roles is as sociated with distress. The caregiver role might even reduce distress when women have very few other roles. Findings are explained in terms of the rol e scarcity, the role expansion and role accumulation hypotheses of role the ory.