Association Between Caregiver Well-Being and Care Recipient Hospitalization: A Secondary Data Analysis

To examine the relationship between care recipient occurrence and frequency of hospitalization and caregiver well-being.

A cross-sectional, secondary analysis was conducted using data from the Caregiving in the United States 2020 survey. Outcomes of interest were the occurrence and incidence of care recipient hospitalization. Dependent variables included domains of caregiver well-being, including physical strain, emotional strain, overall health, and meaning attributed to caregiving.

Multivariate regression indicated a strong association between care recipient hospitalization and caregiver general health, physical strain, and emotional strain. The association was sustained for increased number of hospitalizations.

The current study highlights components of caregiver well-being that may be affected by the hospitalization of a care recipient. Health care systems may need to include supportive methods for caregivers and their care recipients going through care transitions.