Caring for a centenarian parent: an exploratory study on role strains and psychological distress

This study examined the main sources of strain and the presence of psychological distress in a sample of centenarians' children who assumed the role of primary caregivers.

A sample of 43 children (M age = 67.10 ± 6.67 years; 90.7% female) caring for a centenarian parent was interviewed and asked about their overall caregiving experience. Information on caregiving burden (Zarit Burden Interview) and psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) was also obtained. Several characteristics of the caregiving dyads (e.g. age, co-residence) were tested to compare caregivers with and without anxiety and depressive symptoms. Qualitative data from the interviews were analysed for recurrent themes using thematic analysis.

Main caregiving impacts concern social and leisure dimensions (role captivity), with important personal mid-life and late-life plans needing to be changed or postponed. Centenarians' children present higher levels of anxiety (M = 6.95 ± 4.7) than depression (M = 6.0 ± 4.1), and psychological distress was found to be significantly associated with high subjective burden, low life satisfaction, poorer perceived health, and perceived income inadequacy.

The significant levels of psychological distress, along with the loss of autonomy and incapacity to prosecute plans for retirement, reinforce the psychological demands of late-life caregiving. Paying attention to these relationships is imperative to promote adequate responses for these caregivers.