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authors. "This may be because women are more aware of their problems and are more likely to report them when they exist. This finding may not be unique to caregiving." Also, reported health is strongly related to psychological distress, which say the authors, is higher in women than men, and likewise reported more by female caregivers than male caregivers.

Older caregivers also reported more health problems than younger caregivers but did not differ with the younger caregivers in physiological risk. A reason for this, say the authors, is that as age increases, reports of physical illness and disabilities also increase and they are related to general distress and the distress of caring for an ill spouse or family member.

According to the authors, this meta-analysis does not allow one to infer definitively that caregiving is hazardous to one's health but does have clinical implications for the millions of caregivers. "As the population ages, caregivers will play an even greater role in society and interventions that help caregivers maintain their health will not only benefit the care recipients but society as well," said Dr. Vitaliano.

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Contact: Pam Willenz
pwillenz@apa.org
202-336-5707
American Psychological Association
9-Nov-2003

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