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When Missing Out Matters: Associations Between Social Activity Restriction and Caregiver Burden
Mara Rosenberg1, Irena Cenzer1, Kenneth Covinsky1
1Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
|October 17, 2025
Summary
Caregiver restrictions from social activities significantly increase the likelihood of experiencing emotional, physical, or financial burden. Missing important social events, especially religious ones, exacerbates this burden.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Sociology of Health
- Public Health
Background:
- Social engagement is vital for overall well-being.
- Caregivers frequently experience limitations in social participation due to caregiving duties.
- The specific impacts of these social restrictions on caregivers remain under-researched.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between social activity restrictions and caregiver burden.
- To identify which social activities, when missed, most strongly correlate with increased caregiver burden.
- To explore the moderating role of activity importance in the context of missed religious services.
Main Methods:
- Utilized cross-sectional data from the 2021 National Study of Caregiving, a nationally representative sample of 1619 unpaid adult caregivers.
- Caregivers self-reported restrictions from four social activities: visiting, religious services, going out, and group activities.
- Survey-weighted logistic regression analyzed the relationship between missed activities and self-reported emotional, physical, or financial caregiver burden.
Main Results:
- 43% of caregivers reported at least one form of burden (35% emotional, 17% physical, 9% financial).
- Caregivers restricted from going out, visiting, or group activities showed significantly higher adjusted probabilities of any burden (88% vs. 62%, 86% vs. 55%, 88% vs. 61%, respectively).
- Missing religious activities was linked to higher burden, particularly if the activity was deemed important (85% vs. 57% for any burden). A dose-response relationship was observed: missing 2+ activities correlated with 91% burden.
Conclusions:
- Restrictions in social participation are significantly associated with increased caregiver burden.
- The importance of missed activities, especially religious ones, influences the level of caregiver burden experienced.
- Findings highlight the necessity for targeted interventions supporting caregiver social engagement amidst care responsibilities.
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