Caring for one’s social ties may also involve personal health costs. For example, providing care to a sick or impaired spouse imposes strains that undermine the health of the provider, even to the point of elevating mortality risk for the provider (Christakis and Allison 2006). Caring for a sick or impaired spouse is associated with increased physical and psychiatric morbidity, impaired immune function, poorer health behavior, and worse health for the provider (Schulz and Sherwood 2008). Moreover, the recipient of care may be negatively affected by interpersonal interactions with stressed caregivers (Bediako and Friend 2004). Middle-aged adults, particularly women, often experience exceptionally high caregiving demands as they contend with the challenge of simultaneously rearing children, caring for spouses, and looking after aging parents (Spain and Bianchi 1996). The combination of smaller families (to share in the care-giving of aging parents) and an aging population mean that the multigenerational demands of social ties may become more pronounced in the future.
