Balancing eldercare and employment: the role of work interruptions and supportive employers

This study investigates pathways by which employed caregivers' stress is related to their work performance appraisal, with particular attention to work interruptions and supportive employers. Based on a nationally representative sample from the 2004 National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTCS), the study focuses on caregivers to older adults who are currently participating in paid employment (N = 652). Results from structural equation modeling indicate that work interruptions mediate the relationship between caregivers' stress and their work performance appraisal. In addition, the support of employers moderates the relationship between employed caregivers' stress and their work interruptions as well as the relationship between their work interruptions and work performance appraisal. These results point to the need for training supervisors and helping them to understand the potential dual effects of their support on employed caregivers' work interruptions and performance.