Role Overload and Health Among Family Caregivers of Older Persons in the United States: Does Religious Attendance Matter?

Abstract

This study adopted a cross-sectional moderation analysis to examine whether religious attendance buffers the negative effects of role overload on caregivers' health. A total of 1455 family caregivers of older persons (mean age = 63.05 years; 67.4% female) drawn from the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC IV) in the United States in 2021 constituted the sample and were measured by the three-item Role Overload Scale, a single-item self-rated health measure, the four-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4), and a six-item physical health scale. Caregivers, on average, reported moderate to high ratings of self-rated health (M = 3.43, SD = 1.03), mental health (M = 13.99, SD = 2.39), and physical health (M = 25.18, SD = 4.55). Additionally, 54% of caregivers had attended religious services in the past month. Regression analyses demonstrated that role overload was a significant negative predictor of self-rated health (B = - 0.188, p < 0.001), mental health (B = - 0.576, p < 0.001), and physical health (B = - 1.075, p < 0.001). Religious attendance significantly moderated the associations between role overload and self-rated health (B = 0.083, p = 0.004) and mental health (B = 0.176, p = 0.009), but not physical health (B = 0.213, p = 0.097). The findings highlight that religious or spiritual engagement may contribute to buffering the health consequences of caregiving-related stress. Health professionals and religious leaders should consider working collaboratively to promote religious involvement, integrate spiritual support into caregiver services, and develop community-based interventions that address both psychological and physical health needs of family caregivers.