Division of Caregiving Responsibilities among Adult Children

I-Fen Lin, Bowling Green State University
Hsueh-Sheng Wu, Bowling Green State University

Adult children are an important source of caregiving for older adults. Adult children’s propensity to provide care to their parents is not only influenced by children’s own characteristics but also by whether they have siblings who are of the same gender, who have similar resources, and who maintain similar relationships with their parents. Using the first round of the National Health of Aging Trends Study, we answer three questions. First, what is the pattern of the division of caregiving responsibilities among adult children? Second, does the presence of a sibling who shares the same characteristics increase the likelihood of providing no care or sharing care? Last, does the presence of a sibling caregiver who shares the same characteristics increase the likelihood of using a substitute or complement care division? The findings are expected to better elucidate how caregiving responsibilities are allocated among adult children.