Date of Conferral

7-2-2026

Date of Award

July 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Sciences

Advisor

Jeanne Connors

Abstract

The 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to reliance on family members or friends to care for the sick, resulting in a burden of informal caregiving stressors and relationship to mental health. Guided by the stress process model, this quantitative, cross-sectional study aimed to assess the relationship between caregiving stressors and the mental health of mothers of children aged 18 years or younger who were serving as informal caregivers. Secondary data from the 2020-2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (N = 1,772) considered the independent variables related to caregiving stressors, including hours spent caregiving, time since becoming a caregiver, personal care management, and household task management, in relation to the dependent variable of mental health. ANCOVA results showed that hours spent caregiving, F(3) = 10.879, p <.001, time since taking on the role of caregiver, F(4) = 3.835, p = 0.004, and management of personal care, F(1) = 3.935, p = 0.047, were significantly related to the impact on caregivers’ mental health. However, results for management of household tasks, p = 0.122, indicated no relationship to mental health. Results of this study indicate a need to address caregiving stressors through support resources to reduce caregiver burden and the risk of mental health burnout, particularly in situations that require extended caregiving. The implications of this study support positive social change aimed at better addressing the needs of caregivers, particularly those undertaking this role for an extended period.

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