Perceived health and functional status among spouse caregivers of frail older persons.

This national interview study examined the health impact of caring for frail elders in a sample of 437 spouse caregivers. The principal findings were that (a) caregiver emotional strain was the strongest common predictor of both poor perceived health and functional limitations, (b) wife caregivers' poor health was associated with care recipients' perceived unmet needs and increased depression, (c) husband caregivers' poor health status was predicted by longer caregiving duration, and (d) non-White wife caregivers reported poorer perceived health than did their White counterparts.