Although the relation of caregiving burden to well-being has been frequently examined, the effect of caregiving on marital quality has been virtually ignored. The current study explores the impact of parent care on the marriages of adult children by u...
Although the relation of caregiving burden to well-being has been frequently examined, the effect of caregiving on marital quality has been virtually ignored. The current study explores the impact of parent care on the marriages of adult children by using a nationally representative longitudinal sample. It was hypothesized that parent care would negatively influence the marital quality of adult child caregivers, the effect of parent care would differ between women and men caregivers, and the nature of marital relationship variables would moderate or mediate the impact of care on marital quality. Overall, marital quality does not appear to suffer if caregiving load is light. However, the impact of parental caregiving on some dimensions of marital quality was conditioned by gender, gender role attitudes, and congruence between attitudes and behavior.