Work Experience and Emotional State in Caregivers of Elderly Relatives

This study aims to investigate the influence of work experience variables on the emotional state of worker-caregivers based on stress process model. The emotional state (depression, negative and positive affect and worry-strain), caregiver and care recipient features, caregiving stressors and appraisal, and role strains/work-related variables were assessed in 83 worker-caregivers of elderly dependent relatives. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were performed for each of the four emotional outcome variables. Caregiving overload and positive job experience were the best predictors of depression and positive affect. The predictors of negative affect were reaction to memory and behavior problems, overload and role captivity. The predictors of worry and strain were daily hours of caregiving worries, reaction to memory and behavior problems, overload, role captivity and job-caregiving conflicts. The explained variances for the four models were 58.8%, 40.2%, 62.9% and 78.8%, respectively; the role strain contributions were 8.2%, 13.2%, 7.2% and 6%. The results indicate that the effect of perceived job experiences on caregivers' emotional status is more relevant than objective job conflicts. In addition, caregivers' emotional state is primarily related to the subjective indicators of caregiving stressors, with a lower contribution of work-related variables.