University of Michigan Study: Caregivers Sandwiched Between Aging Parents and Young Children Report Financial Difficulty at About Twice the Rate
A new study by a research team based in the University of Michigan's Department of Psychiatry found that nearly one quarter of adults who provide care for at least one parent over the age of 65 also take care of at least one child under 18, a group known as sandwich-generation caregivers. The team estimates there are at least 2.5 million such caregivers in the United States.
The study compared sandwich-generation caregivers with caregivers who care for an older parent but have no minor children. It found that 36 percent of sandwich-generation caregivers reported financial difficulty, compared with 17 percent of the other group; 44 percent reported substantial emotional difficulty, compared with 32 percent; and their average score on a measure of overload was higher. The two groups scored about the same on the positive impacts of caregiving.
The study also found that sandwich-generation caregivers were more likely to work for pay, at 69 percent versus 54 percent, yet both they and their parents were more likely to have Medicaid coverage: 21 percent of sandwich caregivers were covered by Medicaid, versus 11 percent of the other group, and 30 percent of their parents were covered, versus 21 percent. The researchers said this group, which combines paid work, child-rearing, and care for aging parents while having distinct economic characteristics, deserves particular attention from health policymakers.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：密歇根大学 Ann Arbor 校区建筑。本研究由该校精神病学系团队发表。照片：w_lemay，CC BY-SA 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A building on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor. The study was published by a team in the university's Department of Psychiatry. Photo: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
