This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (9) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Rozario, P. A. Articles by Hinterlong, J. E. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Role Enhancement or Role Strain

Assessing the Impact of Multiple Productive Roles on Older Caregiver Well-Being

Adelphi University

Nancy Morrow-Howell

Washington University, St. Louis

James E. Hinterlong

Florida State University

Proponents of productive aging claim that occupying productive roles is beneficial to the self and others. The authors use the role enhancement and role strain perspectives to examine the impact of multiple productive roles on the well-being of older caregivers. Using three waves of the America Changing Lives Study, the authors controlled for invariant and time-variant factors to test the effects of occupying multiple productive roles on the three well-being indicators of 270 older caregivers. Older caregivers who worked and/or volunteered reported better self-rated health, supporting the role enhancement hypothesis. No evidence of role strain was found. For caregivers without multiple productive roles, high informal social integration was related with low functional impairment. This study suggests that productive roles may have a positive effect on older caregivers and finds no evidence of any negative effects. The implications of these findings in policy, research, and program development are discussed.

Key Words: caregiver • well-being • multiple roles • role theory

Research on Aging, Vol. 26, No. 4, 413-428 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0164027504264437


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Mellor, Y. Hayashi, M. Stokes, L. Firth, L. Lake, M. Staples, S. Chambers, and R. Cummins Volunteering and Its Relationship With Personal and Neighborhood Well-Being Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, February 1, 2009; 38(1): 144 - 159. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. E. Hinterlong, N. Morrow-Howell, and P. A. Rozario Productive Engagement and Late Life Physical and Mental Health: Findings from a Nationally Representative Panel Study Research on Aging, July 1, 2007; 29(4): 348 - 370. [Abstract] [PDF]

				N. G. Choi, J. A. Burr, J. E. Mutchler, and F. G. Caro Formal and Informal Volunteer Activity and Spousal Caregiving Among Older Adults Research on Aging, March 1, 2007; 29(2): 99 - 124. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. O. Adebayo Workload, Social Support, and Work-School Conflict Among Nigerian Nontraditional Students Journal of Career Development, December 1, 2006; 33(2): 125 - 141. [Abstract] [PDF]

				H. Choi and N. F. Marks Transition to Caregiving, Marital Disagreement, and Psychological Well-Being: A Prospective U.S. National Study Journal of Family Issues, December 1, 2006; 27(12): 1701 - 1722. [Abstract] [PDF]