Parental Caregiving and Mental Well-Being: How Do Gender and Sexual Identity Matter?

Zhe (Meredith) Zhang, California State University, Los Angeles

In 2020, one in five U.S. adults provided unpaid care (e.g., dressing, bathing, preparing meals, and providing transportation) to loved ones with major health conditions, with most caregivers supporting older adults, particularly aging parents. Caregiving is often stressful, with more pronounced negative health effects for women than men. Sexual minority adults may face additional stress when caring for parents due to potential family rejection. However, limited research explores how parental caregiving's impact on mental well-being varies by gender and sexual identity. This study examines the relationship between mental well-being (poor mental health days) and caregiving status (providing unpaid care or not) by considering the joint role of gender and sexual identity. Analyzing data from adults living in 34 U.S. states between 2018 and 2022, results show that caring for parents is associated with more poor mental health days for sexual minority men than women, a pattern not seen among heterosexuals. Notably, parental caregiving significantly increases mental distress among gay men. These findings deepen understanding of the diverse experiences of parental caregiving in the context of population aging and growing diversity in sexual identities.

Keywords: Older Adults and Intergenerational Relations, Health and Morbidity, Gender Dynamics, Families, Unions and Households

See extended abstract.