Journal of Applied Gerontology, Ahead of Print.
Family caregiving may affect purpose in life, defined as the sense that life has meaning and intentionality. Few studies have compared caregivers to non-caregivers or examined the characteristics of caregivers associated with purpose in life. Using data from the Caregiving Transitions Study (n = 486), we conducted multiple linear regression analyses to test the effects of caregiver status, age, gender, social network, and physical and mental health on purpose in life. We also tested whether the effect of caregiver status differed by race and, among caregivers (n = 241), the associations between caregiving characteristics and purpose in life. Caregivers did not differ significantly from non-caregivers in purpose in life in adjusted analysis. Among caregivers, significantly greater purpose of life was observed among Black caregivers and those reporting higher positive aspects of caregiving. Future research should examine these issues longitudinally, and caregiver interventions should consider addressing purpose in life and positive aspects of caregiving.