Till Death Do Us Part: Intersecting Health and Spousal Dementia Caregiving on Caregiver Mortality
Open accessAbstract
Objective: We consider whether it is the healthiest dementia caregivers who experience a mortality benefit and whether a protective association is consistent for leading causes of mortality. Method: Using the Health and Retirement study (2000-2012), Cox survival models predict time to death for dementia caregivers, including an interaction between dementia caregiver status and self-rated health. The nationally representative sample consisted of 10,650 married adults aged 51 or older (917 dementia caregivers). Results: A significant interaction between dementia caregiver status and self-rated health suggested that relative to noncaregivers, dementia caregivers had reduced mortality, with this effect particularly strong at lower levels of self-rated health. The protective effect of dementia caregiver status was consistent across death by heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease. Discussion: These findings add to a growing body of literature suggesting that caregiving may provide a mortality benefit and a reason to maintain health.
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Studies of how the health of people with dementia affects their caregivers' risk of dying have had mixed findings.
“Studies of how the health of people with dementia affects their caregivers' risk of dying have had mixed findings.528,529”
From 2023 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures (2023) · cites this paper as [528]
The Caregiving and mortality section says studies of caregiver stress and mortality have had mixed results. It does not say that studies of how the health of people with dementia affects their caregivers’ mortality have had mixed findings; the health status examined in this paper is the caregiver’s own. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredStudies of how the health of people with dementia affects their caregivers' risk of dying have had mixed findings.
“Studies of how the health of people with dementia affects their caregivers’ risk of dying have had mixed findings. 576 , 577”
From 2024 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures (2024) · cites this paper as [576]
The Caregiving and mortality section says studies of caregiver stress and mortality have produced mixed results. It does not say those studies examined how the health of people with dementia affects their caregivers’ mortality; the health status examined in this paper is the caregivers’ own. (LLM, conf=0.79)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe mortality results are consistent with a protective effect of dementia care on death.
“These results are consistent with a protective effect of dementia care, at least as it pertains to death.528”
From 2023 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures (2023) · cites this paper as [528]
The finding that dementia caregivers were less likely to die than non-caregivers is consistent with a protective effect of dementia care, at least as it pertains to mortality.
“These results are consistent with a protective effect of dementia care, at least as it pertains to mortality. 576”
From 2024 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures (2024) · cites this paper as [576]
A longitudinal analysis of the Health and Retirement Study found that dementia caregivers were less likely to die than non-caregivers of similar age over a 12-year period.
“In contrast, a longitudinal analysis of the Health and Retirement Study found that dementia caregivers were less likely to die than non‐caregivers of similar age over a 12‐year period. These results are consistent with a protective effect of dementia care, at least as it pertains to mortality. 576”
From 2024 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures (2024) · cites this paper as [576]
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References 46 · Cited by 32
- Authors
- Leggett, A. N., Sonnega, A. J., & Lohman, M. C.
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (US)
- University of South Carolina (US)
- Corresponding author
- Leggett, Amanda N.
- Venue
- Journal of Aging and Health
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2019-07-05
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 7-8
- Pages
- 871-879
- ISSN
- 0898-2643 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-6887
- PMC
- PMC7187632
- OpenAlex
- W2953698518
- Cited by
- 32
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 2.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Aging and Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (K01AG056557, U01AG0097)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Nursing care and research
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving
- Keywords
- dementia caregiving, spousal caregivers, self-rated health, heart disease mortality, cancer mortality, cerebrovascular disease mortality, older adults, married couples
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Dementia, Female, Health Status, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Middle Aged, Mortality, Proportional Hazards Models, Caregivers, Self Report, Protective Factors
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