Each month, we select up to ten publications from those that have recently been entered into the Literature Database.

A year ago, there were approximately 6,664 citations in the Literature Database. As of September 2006, we now have over 7,850 citations.

Click here for a direct link to the Sloan Literature Update articles in the Literature Database.

Chesley, N. & Moen, P. (2006). When workers care: Dual-earner couples' caregiving strategies, benefit use and psychological well-being. American Behavioral Scientist, 49(9), 1248-1269.
This study analyzes data on dual-earner couples from the Ecology of Careers Study to assess the effects of caregiving on individuals’ and couples’ levels of well-being. The authors interviewed 884 couples in two waves, two years apart and measured psychological distress, psychological health, adult caregiving, benefit use, and child care. Findings indicate that caregiving detracts from dual-earner women’s well-being and increases the well-being of dual-earner men. Women caregivers with flexible work arrangements report higher levels of well-being than those without such arrangements, and having a spouse involved in caregiving affects men and women differently.

Global Perspectives - Hirakawa, Y., Kuzuya, M., Masuda, Y., Enoki, H., Iwata, M., Hasegawa, J., & Iguchi, A. (2006). Evaluation of gender differences in caregiver burden in home care: Nagoya Longitudinal Study of the Frail Elderly (NLS-FE). Psychogeriatrics, 6, 91-99.
This article provides a snapshot evaluation of gender differences among caregivers of the elderly in Nagoya, Japan. The authors argue that due to a growing ageing population and the changing family structure in Japan, the number of male caregivers is rising yet few studies have looked at gender differences in caregiver burden in Japan. The paper draws on quantitative data from a larger scale study, the Nagoya Longitudinal Study of the Frail Elderly (NLS-FE). It examines demographics, medical, and elderly care characteristics (including age, nature of kinship, degree of caregiver burden, and depression) of 399 male and 1193 female caregivers as well as the characteristics of their dependents. The authors indicate that the statistical analysis of caregiver items shows no significant gender differences in caregiver burden. They suggest that the care management system in Japan may have lessened the female caregiver burden and narrowed the gender gap. The authors call for further studies to confirm the existence of gender differences in caregiver burden in Japan. Annotated by Uracha Chatrakul Na Ayudhya, Doctoral Researcher, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom.

Global Perspectives - Kwok, H. (2006). The son also acts as major caregiver to elderly parents: A study of the sandwich generation in Hong Kong. Current Sociology, 54(2), 257-272.
When it comes to the care of elderly parents, Hong Kong adult sons actively provide financial support at a rate comparable to that of adult daughters. This article is based on data from two projects: the first used telephone interviews of 503 members of the sandwich generation, with fifty in-depth interviews of these 503. The second used questionnaires to interview 390 elderly care-receivers face-to-face, with 30 in-depth interviews of these 390. Findings indicate that both caregivers and elderly parents believe the son is the major caregiver to aging parents. Studying actual caregiving activities reveals that men, particularly sons, play an active caregiving role.

Global Perspectives - Lopez, J., Lopez-Arrieta, J., & Crespo, M. (2005). Factors associated with the positive impact of caring for elderly and dependent relatives. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 41(1), 81-94.
This paper determines factors which can be seen as predictors of positive aspects of informal caregiving of dependent elderly patients in Spain. The authors interviewed 111 informal caregivers in person and via questionnaire using the Caregiving Satisfaction pcale as the main measure. Caring for elderly and dependent relatives had a positive impact on most of the caregivers, with men finding more satisfaction than women in the caretaking role, and children and spouses of the dependent elder having more satisfaction than those with relationships such as in-law, nephew, niece, grandchild, etc.

McGraw, L. A. & Walker, A.J. (2004). Negotiating care: Ties between aging mothers and their caregiving daughters. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 59B(6), S324-S332.
Rather than focusing on the support children give to their aging parents or caregiver stress, this paper explores the quality of mother-daughter caregiving ties in terms of how each pair is connected to each other, the sustenance of personal autonomy, and the resolution of conflict. The authors interviewed and videotaped 31 unmarried mothers aged 65 and over and their midlife daughters. Findings illustrated relationships that are responsive, that preserve the mothers’ autonomy and minimize open conflict and tension, although a few pairs revealed underlying emotional tension via subtle behavioral clues revealed on video.

Scott, L.D., Hwang, W.T., Rogers, A.E. (2006). The impact of multiple care giving roles on fatigue, stress and work performance among hospital staff nurses. The Journal of Nursing Administration: 36(2), 86-95.
Little attention has been paid to the effects of dual roles as family and professional caregivers on caregiver well-being. This study describes stress and fatigue in a random sample of 393 full-time nurses who provide care for elderly family members, compares the results to nurses with and without children under eighteen, examines differences in the nurses’ amounts of sleep, and looks at the effects on work performance by caregiving status. Results indicate that fatigue and stress levels are much higher among nurses caring for both children and elderly family members, but nurses providing home elder care were most likely to be fatigued, sleep-deprived and more likely to make work errors.

Bailyn, L. (2006). Breaking the mold: Redesigning work for productivity and satisfying lives. (2nd ed.) Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press.
Table of Contents: 1. Introduction : the world we live in -- Interlude I. Nancy Wright : success? -- 2. Organizational constraints : defining the road to success -- 3. Individual constraints : occupational demands on private life -- 4. Family as a complicating issue for organizations -- Interlude II. Elizabeth Gray : failure? -- 5. Rethinking commitment and time -- 6. Rethinking equity and control -- 7. Pathways to change -- Interlude III. The Thompsons : promise of things to come? -- 8. Envisioning the future.

Baum, C.L., II. (2006). The effects of government-mandated family leave on employer family leave policies. Contemporary Economic Policy, 24(3), 432-445.

This article examines the Family and Medical Leave Act’s effect on employers’ family leave policies. Studies find that the FMLA has had small or insignificant effects on employment, work, leave-taking and wages, suggesting that workers are not using FMLA because it is unpaid or because they may take leave using vacation time, sick time, or disability leave. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of youth, the author estimates the effect of the FMLA on the probability that employed respondents have access to family leave benefits through their employers. Findings suggest that government-mandated family leave has significant positive effects on employer-provided family leave; this differs from past literature on the topic that has found small or insignificant effects of the FMLA on workplace leave policies.

Siha, S.M. & Monroe, R.W. (2006). Telecommuting's past and future: A literature review and research agenda. Business Process Management Journal, 12(4), 455-482.

This paper explores the literature of telecommuting, examines the state of telecommuting thought and research, particularly its successes and failures, and seeks to provide insight and recommendations for future research. The authors propose a model that further studies the relationship between the motivation for telecommuting and the resulting outcomes of telecommuting programs. The review looks at telecommuters, their managers, the workplace, and technological and environmental issues.