The study, conducted by Eliza Pavalko of IUB's Department of Sociology and grad student Shari Woodbury, found that physical health was also affected, but to a lesser extent.

They studied data collected over a two-year period from nearly 3,000 women between the ages of 50 and 65. The scientists looked at two variables: how health changes during different stages of involvement in the on-going role of caring for an ill or disabled family member inside the home, and whether health effects vary depending on employment status of the caregiver.
"At least half of American women will care for a disabled family member during their lifetimes. Our findings provide new information about the health effects of caregiving and have broader implications for understanding how women's involvement in multiple roles affects their health and well-being," said Pavalko. "These findings also suggest caution for those considering policy changes that would increase the responsibility of family members and reduce formal support for care."

Emotional distress appears to increase as years spent caregiving increase. New caregivers reported only slightly higher levels of distress than non caregivers, and long-term caregivers reported the highest levels of distress. Measures of emotional distress included how often study participants felt happy or sad, had restless sleep or had crying spells.

Contrary to their expectations, the researchers did not find a similar accumulation of physical limitations during the course of the caregiving period. Instead, the moderate increases in physical limitations seen among caregivers in the early stages leveled off with longer periods of care.

This finding suggests that women may adapt physically to caregiving over time. Measures of physical limitations included difficulty standing, stooping, lifting objects, sitting, walking and using stairs.

Physical health problems were more likely to necessitate finding replacement sources for care. By contrast, increasing levels of psychological distress do not appear to prompt women to give up their caregiving responsibilities, according to the researchers.

Employed women were the least likely to experience physical limitations as a result of caregiving, which suggests that certain characteristics of this group distinguish it from others.

"They may have resources from work or home that allow them to gain benefits from both roles," Pavalko said.
http://iucar.iu.edu/research/direct/profiles.pdf