Principal Investigators:
Marsha R. Mailick, Ph.D.
Waisman Center
University of Wisconsin - MadisonJan S. Greenberg, Ph.D.
Waisman Center
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Purpose of the Study
A four year longitudinal study funded by the National Institute on Aging, entitled "The Well-Being of Women," began at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison during the fall of 1993. The purpose of the study was to learn about family caregiving. Its focus was primarily on how women respond to the challenges of caregiving for a family member, how they felt about the help they provided, and how they were affected by that responsibility. The project studied the differences in wife caregivers as compared with daughter caregivers. A total of 334 caregivers were included in the study. Two hundred and four additional women who were not caregivers were also included in the study in order to provide a basis of comparison to the caregivers.
In the early 1990's, family caregiving was increasingly common in the aging population. Because of this growing phenomenon, it was vital that society gain a better understanding of the factors that improve the quality of life for caregivers. "The Well-Being of Women" projects aim was to make a significant contribution to that understanding. For this reason, the Wisconsin Bureau on Aging endorsed the study.
The criteria for participation at Wave 1 were as follows:
Any caregiving wife was eligible to participate if her husband was aged 60 or older Wave 1, and had caregiving responsibilities for him due to his aging, illness, or a disability. The help that the wife gave her husband could range from minimal to extensive.
Any caregiving daughter was eligible to participate if she gave care to one (or both) of her parents. The parent receiving help was aged 60 or older Wave 1. The help that the daughter gave her parent(s) could range from minimal to extensive. The daughter could live with her parent(s) or in a separate household.
Any wife who was not a caregiver was eligible to participate if she was aged 60 or older, lived with her husband, but did not provide care to him at Wave 1.
Any daughter who was not a caregiver was eligible to participate if she had living parent(s) aged 60 or older, but did not provide care to either parent at Wave 1.
Four waves of data were collected during a 6 year period:
- Wave 1 occurred from October 1993 through May 1994
- Wave 2 occurred from May 1995 through November of 1995
- Wave 3 occurred from September 1996 through May of 1997
- Wave 4 occurred from July of 1998 through December 1998
Acknowledgements
Support for this study was provided by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (R01 AG9388). We are also grateful to the Wisconsin Bureau on Aging for the support of this project.
