Husbands caring for demented wives: Sequelae of loss of wife as a support

Abstract

Epidemiological data suggest that men benefit more from marriage than women, and suffer more from widowhood. When older mens' wives have progressive dementia it may be especially difficult for husbands. Twenty-one husbands caring for a wife with progressive dementia were compared with age, sex, and education-matched married peers on the role of their wives as supports, general social support available to them and requested of them, as well as distress measures. Caregiving husbands were less likely to list their wives as a significant support source and reported feeling lonely more often. On average, caregivers reported one fewer social support network member and were significantly more distressed than their non-caring counterparts. No differences were found between caregiving and control husbands on the frequency of contacts with network members, closeness to members, and frequency of making or receiving requests for support. Caregiver distress was correlated with patient impairment, but not duration of caregiving.