Associations of combining paid work and family care with gender-specific differences in depressive symptoms among older workers and the role of work characteristics

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to provide insight into (i) how the combination of paid work and family care is longitudinally associated with gender-related differences in depressive symptoms and (ii) the role of work characteristics in this association. METHODS: Data were derived from STREAM, a Dutch prospective cohort study of older workers aged 45–64 years. Respondents were included if they were employed in at least one measurement between 2015 and 2017 (N=12 447). Mixed-models were applied to disentangle between-person (BP) and within-person (WP) effects of family caregiving on depressive sym... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Femmy M Bijnsdorp
Allard J van der Beek
Marjolein I Broese van Groenou
Karin I Proper
Swenneke G van den Heuvel
Cécile RL Boot
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2022
Reihe/Periodikum: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, Vol 48, Iss 3, Pp 190-199 (2022)
Verlag/Hrsg.: Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH)
Schlagwörter: the netherlands / depressive symptom / family care / gender-specific difference / mental health / work characteristic / gender / older worker / employment / Public aspects of medicine / RA1-1270
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-29170855
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.4014

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to provide insight into (i) how the combination of paid work and family care is longitudinally associated with gender-related differences in depressive symptoms and (ii) the role of work characteristics in this association. METHODS: Data were derived from STREAM, a Dutch prospective cohort study of older workers aged 45–64 years. Respondents were included if they were employed in at least one measurement between 2015 and 2017 (N=12 447). Mixed-models were applied to disentangle between-person (BP) and within-person (WP) effects of family caregiving on depressive symptoms. Analyses were stratified by gender. Work characteristics (social support, autonomy, emotional and mental workload) were separately added to the multivariable models. RESULTS: For older employees, family caregiving was positively associated with depressive symptoms between and within persons for both women [BP B=0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.52–1.08; WP B=0.32, 95% CI 0.08–0.56] and men (BP B=0.75, 95% CI 0.45–1.05; WP B=0.25, 95% CI 0.01–0.48). Social support at work reduced the adverse effect of family care on depressive symptoms for women (BP) and men (BP and WP). Emotional workload partly explained the effect of family care for both women and men (BP). CONCLUSIONS: The longitudinal association between family care and mental health was similar for male and female employees. Resources at work (ie, social support) could protect caregiving employees against depressive symptoms. More research is needed regarding the relative impact of the care context compared to the work context of working family caregivers.