The Caregiver Identity in Context: Consequences of Identity Threat From Siblings

• Published in: The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences Vol. 76; no. 8; pp. 1593 - 1604
• Main Authors: Rurka, Marissa, Jill Suitor, J, Gilligan, Megan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: US Oxford University Press 13-09-2021
• Subjects: Adult; Adult Children - psychology; Caregivers - psychology; Depression - psychology; Editor's Choice; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mothers; Qualitative Research; Self Concept; Sibling Relations; Social Identification; THE JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGY: Social Sciences; Family sociology; Social networks; Social psychology; Caregiving; Mixed methods
• ISSN: 1079-5014; 1758-5368; 1758-5368
• DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbaa099

Abstract
Objectives
Although siblings represent central members of the networks of caregivers and their parents, there has been limited attention to how siblings affect one another’s well-being during caregiving. In this article, we draw from theories of identity and stress to examine the impact that siblings have on caregivers’ psychological well-being. Specifically, we employ a mixed-methods approach to explore whether caregivers’ perceptions that their siblings are critical of the care they provide their mother are associated with higher depressive symptoms and the mechanisms underlying this association.
Methods
Using quantitative data collected from 404 caregivers nested within 231 families as part of the Within-Family Differences Study, we conduct mediation analyses to examine whether perceived sibling criticisms are associated with caregivers’ depressive symptoms (a) directly and/or (b) indirectly through sibling tension. We then analyze qualitative data collected from the same caregivers to gain insight into the processes underlying statistical associations.
Results
Quantitative analyses revealed that there was no direct relationship between perceived sibling criticisms and depressive symptoms; there was, however, an indirect relationship such that perceived sibling criticisms were associated with greater sibling tension, which in turn was associated with higher depressive symptoms. These quantitative findings were corroborated by qualitative analyses, which demonstrated that, in an effort to mitigate the negative impact of sibling criticisms, caregivers often employed strategies that may have fueled sibling tension.
Discussion
These findings demonstrate how identity processes, as well as the family networks in which caregiving takes place, shape the experiences and consequences of parent care.