Inverse association did not differ with caregiving frequency or when stratified by age, race-ethnicity, depressive symptoms<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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THURSDAY, Nov. 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Caregiving is associated with lower mortality among postmenopausal women, according to a study published online Nov. 8 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society<\/em>.<\/p>\n Prachi P. Chavan, Ph.D., from the University at Buffalo-SUNY in New York, and colleagues examined the association of caregiving with mortality in a cohort of 158,987 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years at enrollment into the Women’s Health Initiative. Mortality was ascertained through March 2019.<\/p>\n Overall, 40.7 percent of the women self-identified as caregivers at baseline (1993 to 1998). The researchers found that during a mean follow-up of 17.5 years, caregivers had significantly lower all-cause mortality than noncaregivers (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio, 0.91). No difference was seen in the inverse association between caregiving and all-cause mortality according to caregiving frequency or when stratified by age, race-ethnicity, depressive symptoms, optimism, or living status. There was an inverse association observed for caregiving with cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality.<\/p>\n “This study adds to the limited existing literature on mortality outcomes in female caregivers and supports the concept that informal caregiving may be associated with longevity,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n