Caregiving Dynamics in Multigenerational Family Systems
Summary
Caregiving within multigenerational family systems encompasses the provision of physical, emotional and instrumental support across at least three living generations. As populations age and fertility declines, mid-life adults frequently find themselves simultaneously responsible for dependent children and ageing relatives, a situation often referred to as the “sandwich” role. Research in this field adopts a life course perspective to examine how demographic shifts, socioeconomic status, gender norms and cultural frameworks shape the distribution of care tasks, the intensity of support and the wellbeing of caregivers. Key themes include the balancing of paid employment with unpaid domestic responsibilities, the influence of kinship networks and non-familial support services, and the long-term health trajectories of those providing care. Practical applications span policy development for family leave, community-based respite initiatives and digital tools for care coordination, all aimed at mitigating caregiver burden and promoting intergenerational solidarity.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have shown that sustained engagement in multigenerational caregiving can modulate cognitive resilience in mid-life adults, revealing neurobiological markers of stress adaptation and suggesting protective effects of meaningful social roles. Innovative work on digital platforms has demonstrated how care-management applications can streamline scheduling, medication reminders and remote monitoring, reducing subjective burden and enhancing communication between family members and professional providers. A further longitudinal analysis has explored how socioeconomic stratification influences care intensity, reporting that higher-income households tend to outsource intensive tasks while lower-income families rely more heavily on unpaid kin networks, with implications for equity in access to formal support services.
Caregiving Dynamics in Multigenerational Family Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in caregiving dynamics in multigenerational family systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Sandwich generation: Individuals concurrently providing unpaid care to both older relatives and dependent children.
Intergenerational care: Reciprocal support exchanged among family members of different age cohorts within a household or kin network.
Care intensity: The amount of time and level of effort expended by caregivers, often measured in hours per week or complexity of tasks.
Life course perspective: An analytical framework that examines how early life events and social trajectories influence roles and outcomes in later stages of life.
References
- Informal care provision across multiple generations in China. Ageing and Society (2019).
- Do mental and physical health trajectories change around transitions into sandwich care? Results from the UK household longitudinal study. Public Health (2025).
- Sandwich caregiving and midlife women's health: An examination of racial disparities. Family Relations (2024).
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