Influences of Work and Family Spillover on Filial and Sandwiched Caregivers’ Psychological Well-Being

Abstract

There has been a documented increase in the numbers of filial and sandwiched caregivers in the United States. However, past studies have overlooked the impact of work and family overload on caregiver well-being. This study investigates the moderating influences of the quality and directionality of work and family spillover on the well-being (e.g., positive affect and negative affect, psychological well-being, and global well-being) of 180 filial and sandwiched caregivers from the second wave of the Midlife in the United States Survey. Regression and moderation analyses revealed that sandwiched caregivers with high levels of negative work-to-family spillover exhibited higher negative affect than the comparison groups. Sandwiched caregivers with high levels of negative family-to-work spillover exhibited higher level of negative affect and lower level of self-acceptance than other caregivers. These findings can help create work programs that address spillover between work and home in the effort to promote caregiver well-being.

The psychological well-being and physical health of sandwiched caregivers in the United States: A scoping review.

“…Specifically, spillover (e.g., the stressors in one life domain that impact another life domain; Schultheiss, 2006) between sandwiched caregivers’ family and work lives had a negative impact on their psychological well-being (DePasquale et al, 2016; Hammer et al, 2005; Hodgdon & Wong, 2021; Neal & Hammer, 2009). Sandwiched caregivers who faced greater negative spillover between family and work domains exhibited greater depressive symptoms (DePasquale et al, 2016), greater negative affect, and less self-acceptance (Hodgdon & Wong, 2021) than nonsandwiched caregivers. Examination of the literature also revealed that female sandwiched caregivers were at risk for greater psychological distress as a result of more spillover across family and work domains than male sandwiched caregivers (DePasquale et al, 2017).…”

“…Similarly, Hodgdon and Wong (2021)’s work examined how different levels of stressors (e.g., primary and secondary) intersected and shaped sandwiched caregivers’ psychological well-being (e.g., positive and negative affect, self-acceptance). In contrast to DePasquale and colleagues (2016, 2017), Hodgdon and Wong (2021) also leveraged the linked lives tenet of the life course perspective (Elder et al, 2003) to demonstrate the importance of contextual factors (e.g., work) in shaping sandwiched caregivers’ well-being. Although Pruchno et al (1997) integrated the stress process and ABC-X models into their study, details on how these models informed the study goals were not explicitly stated.Of the three studies that utilized role theory perspective (Buffardi, 1999; DePasquale et al, 2018; Neal & Hammer, 2009), DePasquale and colleagues (2018) focused on role scarcity and expansion to capture how employed male sandwiched caregivers’ health could be enhanced by multiple roles.…”

“…Examples of studies which harnessed the stress process model included DePasquale and colleagues (2016, 2017) who were interested in the impacts of the primary (caregiving) and secondary (family-work) stressors of the stress process model on sandwiched caregivers’ psychological well-being. Similarly, Hodgdon and Wong (2021)’s work examined how different levels of stressors (e.g., primary and secondary) intersected and shaped sandwiched caregivers’ psychological well-being (e.g., positive and negative affect, self-acceptance). In contrast to DePasquale and colleagues (2016, 2017), Hodgdon and Wong (2021) also leveraged the linked lives tenet of the life course perspective (Elder et al, 2003) to demonstrate the importance of contextual factors (e.g., work) in shaping sandwiched caregivers’ well-being.…”

“…Studies also varied in the conceptualization of "care to a child." Some studies defined sandwiched caregivers' children as a child under 18 years (DePasquale et al, 2018;Hammer et al, 2005;Hammer & Neal, 2008), while others expanded the age limit to include older children (Hodgdon & Wong, 2021;Igarashi et al, 2013). Furthermore, the studies varied by the residence status of the "children."…”

Family Caregivers’ Psychosocial Well-being in the Context of the Great Recession

“…In the examination of filial and sandwiched caregivers' psychological well-being, it is necessary to consider the multidimensional nature of psychological well-being (Ryff, 2014). The work of Hodgdon and Wong (2021) and Marks et al (2002) showed that caregiving shapes individuals' autonomy, personal growth, and self-acceptance alongside their positive and negative affects. Thus, multiple domains of psychological well-being should be examined when comparing filial and sandwiched caregivers.…”