Caregiving Linked to Improved Longevity

New evidence suggests that caregivers may derive health benefits from their altruistic efforts. In a recent study, older people who spent at least 14 hours a week taking care of their disabled spouses lived longer than those who did not.

The study, which will be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, supports earlier findings that altruistic actions may improve health and longevity.

Researchers from the University of Michigan reviewed seven years of data from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study. The analysis included 1,688 couples who were 70 years of age or older and living unassisted.

At the beginning of the study, participants reported how many hours a week their partners helped with everyday activities such as eating, dressing and preparing meals.

Most participants (about 81 percent) did not provide any living assistance to their spouses. Nine percent provided less than 14 hours of help per week, and 10 percent provided 14 hours or more of help per week.

By the end of the study, 909 people died. After controlling for health, age, race, gender, education, employment status and net worth, the authors found that those who provided at least 14 hours of care a week were significantly less likely to have died during the study than those who did not provide any care.

"These findings suggest that caregivers may actually benefit from providing care under some circumstances," said University of Michigan researcher Stephanie Brown, lead author of the study report. "Previous studies have documented negative health effects of caregiving. But the current results show that it is time to disentangle the presumed stress of providing help from the stress of witnessing a loved one suffer."

In 2009, Brown plans to conduct a new study that will examine how altruistic behavior affects well-being. This research, funded by the National Science Foundation, will focus on the neurological effects of altruistic behavior.

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