Daughters as caregivers of aging parents: the shattering myth

This research study examines adult daughters' measures of coping in their roles as caregivers of aging parents, thus affirming Pearlin, Lieberman, Menaghan & Mullan' model (1981). The model presents the mental health of caregiver daughters as a function of demographic variables, role burden and stresses resulting from other relationships within the family, as well as personality variables such as mastery and self-esteem. The research examined 224 women in Israel and presented four major assumptions relating to the extent of the correlation between: a) the characteristics of the daughter and her emotional wellbeing; b) the stresses and role burden of the caregiver and her emotional wellbeing; c) the caregiver's self image and her emotional wellbeing, and d) gender role orientation and family support and the emotional wellbeing of the caregiver. Research main finding is that gender role orientation of female caregivers affects their well being. The findings indicate mutual relations between all elements of the research model and actually validate all of the four research assumptions. Findings show that of the mediating variables in the model, family support and male gender role orientation moderate the intensity of the stresses experienced by the daughter in her role as caregiver.