TY - JOUR T1 - Associations of combining paid work and family care with gender-specific differences in depressive symptoms among older workers and the role of work characteristics JO - Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health PY - 2022/4VL - 48 IS - 3 SP - 190 EP - 199 AU - Bijnsdorp, Femmy M AU - van der Beek, Allard J AU - Broese van Groenou, Marjolein I AU - Proper, Karin I AU - van den Heuvel, Swenneke G AU - Boot, Cécile RL M3 - doi: 10.5271/sjweh.4014 UR - https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=4014 KW - depressive symptom KW - employment KW - family care KW - gender KW - gender-specific difference KW - mental health KW - older worker KW - The Netherlands KW - work characteristic N2 - '

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OBJECTIVES ': 'This study aims to provide insight into (i) how the combination of paid work and family care is longitudinally associated with gender-related differences in depressive symptoms and (ii) the role of work characteristics in this association.

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METHODS ': 'Data were derived from STREAM, a Dutch prospective cohort study of older workers aged 45–64 years. Respondents were included if they were employed in at least one measurement between 2015 and 2017 (N=12 447). Mixed-models were applied to disentangle between-person (BP) and within-person (WP) effects of family caregiving on depressive symptoms. Analyses were stratified by gender. Work characteristics (social support, autonomy, emotional and mental workload) were separately added to the multivariable models.

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RESULTS ': 'For older employees, family caregiving was positively associated with depressive symptoms between and within persons for both women [BP B=0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.52–1.08; WP B=0.32, 95% CI 0.08–0.56] and men (BP B=0.75, 95% CI 0.45–1.05; WP B=0.25, 95% CI 0.01–0.48). Social support at work reduced the adverse effect of family care on depressive symptoms for women (BP) and men (BP and WP). Emotional workload partly explained the effect of family care for both women and men (BP).

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CONCLUSIONS ': 'The longitudinal association between family care and mental health was similar for male and female employees. Resources at work (ie, social support) could protect caregiving employees against depressive symptoms. More research is needed regarding the relative impact of the care context compared to the work context of working family caregivers.

SN - 0355-3140 ER -