Balancing Caregiving and Work: Role Conflict and Role Strain Dynamics.

Positing role conflict as a bidirectional construct in which work interferes with caregiving (WIC) and caregiving interferes with work (CIW), this study investigated its antecedents (demands and support of caregiving and work) and consequences (role strain). A national sample of 583 women between the ages of 50 and 64 years identified using random-digit-dial procedures completed a telephone survey. Structural equation modeling revealed that caregiving demands were positively associated with CIW and caregiving burden; instrumental caregiving support reduced CIW and caregiving burden.

Convenience samples and caregiving research: how generalizable are the findings?

Purpose: We contrast characteristics of respondents recruited using convenience strategies with those of respondents recruited by random digit dial (RDD) methods. We compare sample variances, means, and interrelationships among variables generated from the convenience and RDD samples.

Design And Methods: Women aged 50 to 64 who work full time and provide care to a community-dwelling older person were recruited using either RDD (N = 55) or convenience methods (N = 87).

The relationship among work-family conflict and enhancement, organizational work-family culture, and work outcomes for older working women.

This article examines the relationship among work-family conflict and enhancement, organizational work-family culture, and four work outcomes for 489 working women over the age of 50. Survey results from two U.S.

Family member involvement in hastened death.

When patients pursue a hastened death, how is the labor of family care-giving affected? The authors examined this question in a qualitative study of 35 families. Four cases reveal the main themes: "taking care" included mutual protection between patients and family members; "midwifing the death" without professional support left families unprepared for adverse events; "tying up loose ends" included dealing with family members' fear of legal consequences; and "moving ahead" involved a greater risk of complicated grief when families encountered complications during the dying process. These results highlight the positive and negative consequences of family members' participation in a hastened death.

Why now? Timing and circumstances of hastened deaths.

We interviewed 35 families to understand the timing and circumstances of hastened deaths. We estimated life expectancy for the 26 patients who hastened their deaths and used content analysis to identify patterns in their decisions. On average, patients had lived with their illness for 2.