DAILY HEALTH AND WELL-BEING AMONG - Caregivers with Multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences - Abstract

Sep 29, 2026

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Caregiving for aging parents is a common experience among middle-aged and older adults in the United States. Using a life course perspective, this study examines how providing care relates to daily well-being, and how adverse childhood experiences and current family support or strain shape these relationships. Data come from the National Study of Daily Experiences, with multilevel modeling of days nested within individuals.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Background and Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions and Future Research

616 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.2109 DAILY HEALTH AND WELL-BEING AMONG CAREGIVERS WITH MULTIPLE ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES Yin Liu1, Jooyoung Kong2, David Almeida3, and Stephanie Robert2, 1. Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States, 2. University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 3. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States Background/objective: Caregiving for aging parents is a prevalent experience for middle-and older adults in the US. Utilizing a life course perspective to family caregiving, this study examined the associations between providing care to parents and daily well-being outcomes, while also testing the moderating roles of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and current family support or strain. Methods: Data were drawn from the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) 3, a series of daily diary surveys over eight consecutive days. A study sample included 434 caregivers and their 1,123 daily diary records. The daily outcomes included daily negative and positive affect, physical symptoms, and sleep quality. A multilevel modeling approach was employed to account for days nested within individuals. Results: Having three or more ACEs significantly moderated the within-person association between caregiving for parents and higher daily negative affect. Among respondents with three or more ACEs, positive family support buffered the associations between daily caregiving to parents and higher negative affect, lower positive affect, and poorer sleep quality. Family strain exacerbated the effects of daily caregiving to parents on higher negative affect, lower positive affect, more physical symptoms, and poorer sleep quality. Conclusions: ACEs play a crucial role in contextualizing caregivers’ daily health outcomes. This study highlights the importance of trauma-informed support tailored to these caregivers who have faced multiple ACEs. Future research should focus on exploring the specific coping mechanisms and cumulative disadvantages of these caregivers to inform more effective, targeted interventions.

FAQs

What is the main objective of the study?

To assess how caregiving for aging parents relates to daily well-being outcomes, and to test how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and current family support or strain moderate these associations.

How were caregiving and well-being outcomes measured?

The study used daily diary surveys over eight consecutive days, drawing from a sample of 434 caregivers and 1,123 daily diary records. Outcomes included negative/positive affect, physical symptoms, and sleep quality.

What role do ACEs and family support or strain play?

Having three or more ACEs significantly moderated the link between caregiving and higher daily negative affect. Positive family support buffered negative caregiving-related associations for those with three or more ACEs, while family strain exacerbated effects across affect, physical symptoms, and sleep quality.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Noah