Health Impacts of Co-residence with and Caregiving to Persons with HIV/AIDS on Older Parents in Thailand

An emerging literature indicates that parents are main caregivers to persons with HIV and AIDS (PHAs) in Thailand, especially during the late stages of illness. Very little research has examined whether and to what extent this caregiving role affects the physical and psychological health of older persons who give such care, especially in Thailand and other developing countries, where most infections occur. This paper explores these potential health impacts of caregiving for 394 households having older parents who had a child die of AIDS versus 376 households with older persons who did not, based upon original survey data collected during 2000 in three provinces (from 3 sub-regions) in Thailand. We supplement these survey data with qualitative data resulting from 18 in-depth interviews of older persons who had lost an adult child to AIDS. We find that large proportions of older persons with PHA children provide a variety of time consuming and strenuous caregiving services to them. Mothers shoulder most of this burden. Mothers who have had a child die from AIDS reported lower levels of overall happiness than mothers who did not. Mothers and fathers of PHAs who died report lower levels of overall happiness now compared to 3 years ago (before the time of the death of their child) with respect to parents from households that did not experience an adult child death. Many AIDS parents experienced anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, muscle strain, and head and stomach aches during the time they cared for their ill children, and many experienced these problems often.