Multidimensional influencing factors study on the types and duration of caregivers for disabled older adults in China

ZHAO Yan; LIU Ziyao; MA Yingrui; YUAN Jiahao; TIAN Zi; LI Zihan

doi:10.12102/j.issn.1009-6493.2026.05.001

Abstract：Objective:To analyze the current status of caregiver types and care duration for disabled older adults in China and their multidimensional influencing factors based on the 2020 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study(CHARLS)data,providing empirical evidence for improving the care service and security system for disabled older adults.Methods:Utilizing the older adult sample from the CHARLS 2020 data,Chi-square tests and Softmax regression were employed to analyze the factors influencing caregiver types,while t-tests and multivariate regression were used to analyze the factors influencing care duration.Results:A total of 3,349 disabled older adults were included.The results showed that gender,age,marital status,education level,disability level,depression status,economic support,and annual household income per capita all had significant effects on both caregiver types and care duration(P<0.05).Advanced age,having a spouse,higher education level,severe disability,negative economic support,and higher household income were associated with longer care duration,while depression status was associated with shorter care duration.Conclusions:The care system for disabled older adults in China faces issues of structural imbalance and uneven resource distribution.It is recommended to implement comprehensive measures,including strengthening the community care system,promoting long-term care insurance,providing family caregiver skills training,establishing psychological early warning mechanisms,and encouraging social capital involvement in elderly care services,so as to optimize the allocation of care resources and to meet the diverse care needs of disabled older adults.