Open AccessInformal Caregiving, Poor Mental Health, and Subjective Cognitive Decline: Results From a Population-Based Sample
Author(s) -
Monique J. Brown,
Steven A. Cohen
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of gerontological nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.391
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1938-243X
pISSN - 0098-9134
DOI - 10.3928/00989134-20201106-04
Subject(s) - mental health , odds ratio , logistic regression , medicine , confidence interval , gerontology , odds , demography , multivariate analysis , population , psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , environmental health , sociology
The current study examined potential gender differences in the associations between informal caregiving, poor mental health, and subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Data were obtained from the U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (N = 16,042; 9,410 women, 6,632 men). Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were used to obtain adjusted βs and odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) depicting the association between informal caregiving, poor mental health, and SCD overall and by gender. Caregiving was positively associated with poor mental health among men (adjusted β = 2.60; 95% CI [2.59, 2.62]) and women (adjusted β = 0.40; 95% CI [0.23, 0.57]). Poor mental health was positively associated with SCD among men (adjusted OR = 1.05; 95% CI [1.02, 1.08]) and women (adjusted OR = 1.07; 95% CI [1.04, 1.10]). Poor mental health may be associated with SCD, irrespective of gender, and additional studies are needed that will identify key variables influencing SCD among male and female informal caregivers. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 46(12), 31-41.].