Depends on whom you ask: Discordance in reporting spousal care between older women and men across European welfare states

• Published in: Archives of gerontology and geriatrics Vol. 125; p. 105518
• Main Authors: Rodrigues, Ricardo, Simmons, Cassandra, Zólyomi, Eszter, Vafaei, Afshin, Rehnberg, Johan, Kadi, Selma, Socci, Marco, Fors, Stefan, Phillips, Susan P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.10.2024
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Caregivers - psychology; Caregivers - statistics & numerical data; Depression - epidemiology; Europe; Female; Gender; Humans; Informal care; Long-term care; Male; Measurement; Middle Aged; Patient Care - standards; Social Welfare - statistics & numerical data; Spousal care; Spouses - psychology; Spouses - statistics & numerical data; Europe; Measurement; Spousal care; Gender; Informal care; Long-term care
• ISSN: 0167-4943; 1872-6976; 1872-6976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2024.105518

•Analysis of discordance in the identification of carers in European.•Spousal care is only confirmed by both carer and care receiver in 54 % of cases.•Spousal care is more often confirmed by both spouses when carers are women.•Men are less likely to self-identify as carers or to be acknowledged by partners.•Size and sign of the association of care with health depends on who reports care. We aim to investigate systematic differences in reporting spousal care between caregivers and cared-for persons and their possible effects for the analysis of care regimes and correlation of care with health. Using information on care provided/received from the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we estimate the prevalence of spousal care and discordance between caregivers and cared-for persons in the reporting of care among caregiving dyads. Multinomial regressions are used to estimate systematic differences in reporting spousal care. We then use multivariable logistic regressions to assess the association between discordance in reporting informal care and carer's self-rated health (SRH) and depression using the EURO-D scale. Only 53.9 % of dyads report care that is confirmed by both spouses. Multinomial regressions show that agreement on care being provided/received is more common when women are caregivers, while men are likely to underreport when providing or receiving personal care. Prevalence of spousal care across care regimes is sensitive to who reports care. There is no effect on the association of care with SRH regardless of who identifies the carer, while the magnitude and statistical significance of the association between depression symptoms and care varies according to the choice of respondent. Informal care may be understated across Europe when relying solely on carer self-identification through description of tasks in surveys. From a policy standpoint, relying on self-identification of carers to access support or social benefits may potentially reduce the take-up of such benefits or support.