Association Between Caring for a Disabled Adult and Spousal Caregiver's Chronic Disease: Evidence from a National Study in China.

Objective: Spousal caregiving for disabled adults poses health risks, yet few studies address chronic diseases among caregivers of middle-aged and older spouses. This study explores the impact of caregiving on caregivers' chronic disease.

Methods: Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we included 10,090 spousal caregivers of disabled individuals aged ≥45, categorized into current, previous and no-caregiving groups across 2015-2020 waves, and recorded caregiving duration. Chronic diseases (e.g., hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes), their counts, and covariates (including sex, age, education level, location, number of children, internet use, drinking and smoking status, physical activity and social activities) were obtained from the 2020 wave. Binary logistic regression assessed the relationship between caregiving status and chronic diseases, while zero-inflated negative binomial regression analyzed caregiving status and duration on disease counts. Analyses were conducted in October 2024.

Results: 54.55% of the participants were men, and the mean age was 59.35 ± 8.60 years. The current and previous caregiving groups were more likely to have chronic diseases, particularly arthritis and heart disease, compared to the no-caregiving group. Chronic disease counts were also higher in these groups. Longer caregiving duration also was associated with increased disease counts in both the current and previous caregiving groups.

Conclusion: Caregiving for disabled middle-aged and older adults is associated with a higher prevalence and greater number of chronic diseases among caregivers. Caregiving duration is also positively associated with chronic disease counts. Tailored health policies and support systems are crucial for improving caregivers' health and care quality for disabled individuals in China.