Health status, health behaviours and anxiety symptoms of older male caregivers: Findings from the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project
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Open Access
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ArticleAbstract
Objective To explore differences between older male caregivers and non‐caregivers on health status, health behaviours and well‐being, including symptoms of anxiety. Methods Data were collected through self‐completed questionnaires and face‐to‐face interviews with 1705 community ...
See moreObjective To explore differences between older male caregivers and non‐caregivers on health status, health behaviours and well‐being, including symptoms of anxiety. Methods Data were collected through self‐completed questionnaires and face‐to‐face interviews with 1705 community living men aged ≥70 in the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project. Results Eleven per cent of older men were caregivers, of whom 81.7% were looking after their wives or partners. Older male caregivers did not have worse physical health or more depressive symptoms than non‐caregivers, but being a caregiver was associated with increased likelihood of reporting anxiety symptoms (OR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.39–3.87). Caregivers had similar levels and frequencies of leisure activities but did more housework activities than non‐caregivers. Conclusion Higher anxiety levels were the main adverse health condition in older male caregivers. Strategies to assist minimising anxiety for caregivers should be a target of interventions.
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See moreObjective To explore differences between older male caregivers and non‐caregivers on health status, health behaviours and well‐being, including symptoms of anxiety. Methods Data were collected through self‐completed questionnaires and face‐to‐face interviews with 1705 community living men aged ≥70 in the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project. Results Eleven per cent of older men were caregivers, of whom 81.7% were looking after their wives or partners. Older male caregivers did not have worse physical health or more depressive symptoms than non‐caregivers, but being a caregiver was associated with increased likelihood of reporting anxiety symptoms (OR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.39–3.87). Caregivers had similar levels and frequencies of leisure activities but did more housework activities than non‐caregivers. Conclusion Higher anxiety levels were the main adverse health condition in older male caregivers. Strategies to assist minimising anxiety for caregivers should be a target of interventions.
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Date
2017-02-16Publisher
WileyLicence
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article:Shu, C.-C., Cumming, R. G., Kendig, H. L., Blyth, F. M., Waite, L. M., Le Couteur, D. G., Handelsman, D. J., & Naganathan, V. (2017). Health status, health behaviours and anxiety symptoms of older male caregivers: Findings from the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 36(2), 151–157, which has been published in final form at: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.12376. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.Citation
Shu, C.-C., Cumming, R. G., Kendig, H. L., Blyth, F. M., Waite, L. M., Le Couteur, D. G., Handelsman, D. J., & Naganathan, V. (2017). Health status, health behaviours and anxiety symptoms of older male caregivers: Findings from the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 36(2), 151–157. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.12376Share