142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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305398
Persistent Eldercare Responsibility and Association with Reported Family Work Conflict among Manufacturing Sector Employees

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Richard Fortinsky, PhD , UConn Center on Aging, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT
Nicholas Warren, ScD , Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT
Janet Barnes-Farrell, PhD , Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Anne Kenny, MD , UConn Center on Aging, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
Julie Robison, PhD , Center on Aging, Univeristy of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
Dana Farr, MS , Department Of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, UConn Health Center, Farmington, CT
Zhou Chen, MA , Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Alicia Dugan, PhD , Department of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
Martin Cherniack, MD, MPH , Department Of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, UConn Health Center, Farmington, CT
Eldercare responsibility (ER) among employed Americans is receiving increasing attention, yet little is known about persistent ER and employment-related consequences. Using two-wave longitudinal data from employees at six manufacturing companies, we compared family-work conflict (FWC) among employees reporting ER at both study waves (persistent ER), ER at wave 1 or wave 2 only, or no ER at either wave.

Methods: ER was defined as reporting that >1 adults age >65 depended on respondents for help due to disability or chronic illness. FWC at wave 2, the dependent variable, was measured by a validated 2-item scale tapping impact of family responsibilities on job performance. Covariates included age group, gender, FWC at wave 1, and several wave 2 variables: work shift, supervisor vs. line worker, overtime work, child care responsibility, and validated measures of physical and psychological work demands.

Results: Respondents completing both waves (n=747) were: 69.5% male; mean age=48.7+10.9; 80% White. Mean interval between waves was 14.9+2 months. Of those with complete ER data, 76% reported no ER, 15% reported ER at one wave only, and 9% reported persistent ER. After controlling for covariates, respondents with persistent ER reported statistically significantly greater FWC than those with no ER (p=0.005). No differences in FWC were observed between those who reported no ER and those who reported ER at one wave only.

Conclusions: Persistent ER is a more important contributor to FWC than shorter duration ER and deserves attention as a potential predictor of other work- and health-related outcomes in manufacturing sector employees.

Learning Areas:

Occupational health and safety
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Discuss how manufacturing sector employees are affected by eldercare responsibilities. Explain how the health and well-being of manufacturing sector employees with eldercare responsibilities could be assisted by responsive workplace policies.

Keyword(s): Aging, Occupational Health and Safety

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have conducted research in the aging and eldercare field for more than 30 years.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4002.0: Roundtable: Translating Aging Research into Practice