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Race Differences in Characteristics and Experiences of Black and White Caregivers of Older Americans
Fabius CD, Wolff JL, Kasper JD.. The Gerontologist, 2020-09-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background and objectives Racial disparities in health and socioeconomic characteristics of older adults have implications for the experiences of their family and unpaid caregivers, but knowledge to date has primarily drawn from convenience samples. Using a population-based sample, we examine associations between caregiver race and caregiving-related effects. Research design and methods Study participants include white (n = 992) and black (n = 556) respondents to the 2015 National Study of Caregiving who assisted community-dwelling older adults with disabilities who participated in the National Health and Aging Trends Study. Guided by Pearlin's Stress Process Model, hierarchical logistic regression models were constructed to examine race differences in caregiving-related effects after adjusting for caregiving context, stressors, and resources. Results Relative to white caregivers, blacks more often provided in excess of 40 hr of care per week (54.3% vs 38.6%) and more often cared for an older adult with dementia (27.1% vs 20.7%) who was living below the federal poverty line (31.7% vs 11.9%) or was Medicaid-eligible (42.2% vs 11.8%). Black caregivers more often used supportive services (32.9% vs 24.8%). In fully adjusted regression models, black caregivers were more likely to report gains and less likely to report emotional difficulty than whites. Service utilization did not attenuate caregiving-related emotional difficulty or participation restrictions, regardless of race. Discussion and implications Findings highlight caregiving disparities and counterintuitive differences in experiences and indicate the importance of identifying supports such as paid family leave and faith and community-based programming to better support community-dwelling low-income older adults and their family and unpaid caregivers.
Key findings
- Results Relative to white caregivers, blacks more often provided in excess of 40 hr of care per week (54.3% vs 38.6%) and more often cared for an older adult with dementia (27.1% vs 20.7%) who was living below the federal poverty line (31.7% vs 11.9%) or was Medicaid-eligible (42.2% vs 11.8%).
Why it matters
This study found differences in caregiving experiences between Black and white caregivers of older Americans, including that Black caregivers more often cared for someone with dementia. It does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants992
- Effect size54.3%; 38.6%; 27.1%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The Gerontologist) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | The Gerontologist: journal h-index 238 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 992 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 175 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 21.9 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 27.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 16 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 93 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Judith D. Kasper: h-index 53 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 32400881) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Fabius, C. D., Wolff, J. L., & Kasper, J. D. (2020). Race Differences in Characteristics and Experiences of Black and White Caregivers of Older Americans. The Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa042
Vancouver
Fabius CD, Wolff JL, Kasper JD. Race Differences in Characteristics and Experiences of Black and White Caregivers of Older Americans. The Gerontologist. 2020. doi:10.1093/geront/gnaa042. PMID: 32400881.
BibTeX
@article{fabius2020-32400881,
author = {Fabius, C. D. and Wolff, J. L. and Kasper, J. D.},
title = {{Race Differences in Characteristics and Experiences of Black and White Caregivers of Older Americans}},
journal = {The Gerontologist},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1093/geront/gnaa042},
pmid = {32400881},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa042}
}
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