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. 2021 Feb 26:7:2333721421999279.
doi: 10.1177/2333721421999279. eCollection 2021 Jan-Dec.

Exploring Changes in Caregiver Burden and Caregiving Intensity due to COVID-19

Steven A Cohen  1 , Zachary J Kunicki  2 , Megan M Drohan  1 , Mary L Greaney  1
Affiliations

Exploring Changes in Caregiver Burden and Caregiving Intensity due to COVID-19

Steven A Cohen et al. Gerontol Geriatr Med. .

Abstract

This study explored self-reported changes in caregiving intensity (CI) and caregiver burden (CB) among informal caregivers due to the COVID-19 pandemic overall and by gender. Informal caregivers for someone age 50+ completed a survey via Amazon's MTurk in June 2020. Participants reported changes in CI and CB due to COVID-19 and provided demographic information. Multinomial logistic regression models assessed changes in CI and CB attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic overall and by gender. The sample (n = 835) was 68.5% male and had an average age of 34 years (SD 9.8); 55.7% had increased CI, and 53.1% had increased CB attributed to the pandemic. Increased CB due to COVID-19 was associated with increased CI (OR 5.67, 95% CI 3.92-8.00). Male caregivers with decreased CI due to COVID-19 were nearly seven times as likely as those with no change in CI to have reduced CB due to COVID-19 (OR 6.91, 95% CI 3.29-14.52). Women with decreased CI due to COVID-19 were over eight times as likely to have reduced CB due to COVID (OR 8.30, 95% CI 2.66-25.91). Results indicate that many caregivers experienced increases in CI and CB since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that these changes are complex and vary by gender.

Keywords: COVID-19; caregiver burden; gender disparities; informal caregiving.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Multinomial logistic regression model-adjusted probabilities of increased caregiver burden due to COVID-19.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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