Can Cessation of Caregiving for Parents Relieve Family Caregivers’ Psychological Distress? A Longitudinal Study Using 17-wave Nationwide Survey Data in Japan
Background: Informal caregiving of older parents adversely affects the mental health of family caregivers. However, the psychological effects of caregiving cessation and the trajectories of these effects have rarely been examined in Japan. This study addresses this gap. Methods: Based on a 17-wave n...
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Japan Epidemiological Association
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Epidemiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jea/35/4/35_JE20240190/_pdf |
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| author | Takashi Oshio Ruru Ping |
| author_facet | Takashi Oshio Ruru Ping |
| author_sort | Takashi Oshio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Informal caregiving of older parents adversely affects the mental health of family caregivers. However, the psychological effects of caregiving cessation and the trajectories of these effects have rarely been examined in Japan. This study addresses this gap. Methods: Based on a 17-wave nationwide population-based survey in Japan, we analyzed longitudinal data from 8,280 individuals aged 50–59 years in 2005 who started caring for their older parents in 2006 or later and ceased caregiving by 2021. We identified the timings of caregiving onset and cessation and examined the trajectory of psychological distress (PD), defined as a Kessler score ≥5 on the 6-item Kessler scale (range 0–24). Linear mixed models were used to assess the trajectory of PD that evolved after caregiving cessation over the subsequent 3 years. Results: After adjusting for covariates, the probability of PD decreased by 5.6 percentage points (from 40.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.1–7.0%) for female caregivers and by 1.9 percentage points (from 31.7%; 95% CI, 0.3–3.5%) for male caregivers at caregiving cessation, remaining stable in subsequent years. For women, higher PD risks related to co-residence with a care recipient diminished quickly upon cessation of caregiving, while the unfavorable impacts of no social activity, extended duration of care, and long-hour daily care persisted in subsequent years. For male caregivers, the impact was generally more limited. Conclusion: These results suggest that changes in mental health following caregiving cessation warrant serious consideration when developing support programs for former family caregivers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-926588f6aa754fc895223468eda35be7 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0917-5040 1349-9092 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Japan Epidemiological Association |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Epidemiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-926588f6aa754fc895223468eda35be72025-08-20T03:17:54ZengJapan Epidemiological AssociationJournal of Epidemiology0917-50401349-90922025-04-0135418719410.2188/jea.JE20240190Can Cessation of Caregiving for Parents Relieve Family Caregivers’ Psychological Distress? A Longitudinal Study Using 17-wave Nationwide Survey Data in JapanTakashi Oshio0Ruru Ping1Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, JapanHitotsubashi Institute for Advanced Study, Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, JapanBackground: Informal caregiving of older parents adversely affects the mental health of family caregivers. However, the psychological effects of caregiving cessation and the trajectories of these effects have rarely been examined in Japan. This study addresses this gap. Methods: Based on a 17-wave nationwide population-based survey in Japan, we analyzed longitudinal data from 8,280 individuals aged 50–59 years in 2005 who started caring for their older parents in 2006 or later and ceased caregiving by 2021. We identified the timings of caregiving onset and cessation and examined the trajectory of psychological distress (PD), defined as a Kessler score ≥5 on the 6-item Kessler scale (range 0–24). Linear mixed models were used to assess the trajectory of PD that evolved after caregiving cessation over the subsequent 3 years. Results: After adjusting for covariates, the probability of PD decreased by 5.6 percentage points (from 40.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.1–7.0%) for female caregivers and by 1.9 percentage points (from 31.7%; 95% CI, 0.3–3.5%) for male caregivers at caregiving cessation, remaining stable in subsequent years. For women, higher PD risks related to co-residence with a care recipient diminished quickly upon cessation of caregiving, while the unfavorable impacts of no social activity, extended duration of care, and long-hour daily care persisted in subsequent years. For male caregivers, the impact was generally more limited. Conclusion: These results suggest that changes in mental health following caregiving cessation warrant serious consideration when developing support programs for former family caregivers.https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jea/35/4/35_JE20240190/_pdfcaregiverinformal caregivingpsychological distresssocial activity |
| spellingShingle | Takashi Oshio Ruru Ping Can Cessation of Caregiving for Parents Relieve Family Caregivers’ Psychological Distress? A Longitudinal Study Using 17-wave Nationwide Survey Data in Japan Journal of Epidemiology caregiver informal caregiving psychological distress social activity |
| title | Can Cessation of Caregiving for Parents Relieve Family Caregivers’ Psychological Distress? A Longitudinal Study Using 17-wave Nationwide Survey Data in Japan |
| title_full | Can Cessation of Caregiving for Parents Relieve Family Caregivers’ Psychological Distress? A Longitudinal Study Using 17-wave Nationwide Survey Data in Japan |
| title_fullStr | Can Cessation of Caregiving for Parents Relieve Family Caregivers’ Psychological Distress? A Longitudinal Study Using 17-wave Nationwide Survey Data in Japan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Can Cessation of Caregiving for Parents Relieve Family Caregivers’ Psychological Distress? A Longitudinal Study Using 17-wave Nationwide Survey Data in Japan |
| title_short | Can Cessation of Caregiving for Parents Relieve Family Caregivers’ Psychological Distress? A Longitudinal Study Using 17-wave Nationwide Survey Data in Japan |
| title_sort | can cessation of caregiving for parents relieve family caregivers psychological distress a longitudinal study using 17 wave nationwide survey data in japan |
| topic | caregiver informal caregiving psychological distress social activity |
| url | https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jea/35/4/35_JE20240190/_pdf |
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