Written by: Rachel Brauner
Military caregivers play a critical role in supporting service members and veterans (SMVs), often assuming long-term responsibilities that significantly affect their own well-being (Ramchand et al., 2024). But what happens when the caregiving ends? A recent longitudinal study by Brickell et al., (2023) offers new insight into how caregivers fare after stepping out of their caregiving role—and the findings highlight an important message: the impact of caregiving doesn’t end when care stops.
Understanding the Study
The study Brickell et al., (2023) followed 466 caregivers of SMVs with TBI as part of a 15-year effort to assess changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL). A subset of 48 caregivers who reported they were no longer providing care formed the “No Longer Caregiving” group. Researchers compared their HRQOL scores from when they were still caregiving (baseline) to approximately 13 months later (follow-up), and also compared them to the 418 caregivers still providing care. Reasons for no longer caregiving included relationship dissolution or the SMV’s recovery. While some improvement in HRQOL was observed, many former caregivers continued to experience elevated symptoms of distress, reduced life satisfaction, and economic hardship.
Key Findings
- Improvements in Social and Emotional Health: Former caregivers reported modest improvements in social participation, emotional support, and resilience at follow-up. This may reflect relief from the demanding caregiving role or reengagement with personal interests and relationships.
- Persistent Challenges: Despite some progress, a significant proportion of caregivers continued to experience clinically elevated distress. Notably, measures of general life satisfaction and economic quality of life often remained high—suggesting ongoing struggle even after caregiving ends.
- Sleep and Resilience: Caregivers showed better sleep quality and resilience after transitioning out of caregiving. However, sleep challenges still affected nearly one-third of this group, indicating that recovery is not immediate and may require targeted interventions.
- Financial Strain and Role Loss: Economic stress increased for some caregivers after they stopped caregiving. This is concerning, as many services available to military caregivers are tied to their active caregiving status and may be discontinued when their role ends.
Why This Matters for Military Service Providers
As service providers working with military families and caregivers, it’s essential to recognize that caregiving is not just a temporary life role—it can leave lasting emotional, physical, and financial imprints. This study shows that while HRQOL can improve after caregiving ends, many challenges persist. Here are a few actionable takeaways:
- Extend Support Beyond the Caregiving Role: Ensure that caregivers transitioning out of their roles still have access to counseling, peer support groups, and financial resources. Temporary extensions of eligibility for services may be a critical bridge during this period.
- Focus on Relationship and Emotional Health: Many former caregivers—especially those who ended their caregiving due to relationship dissolution—reported poor relationship satisfaction and elevated emotional distress. Facilitating access to couples counseling and psychoeducation about TBI and mental health can be instrumental.
- Encourage Skill-Building and Resilience: Promoting resilience training can empower caregivers to navigate change more effectively. Programs that help families adapt to military-specific challenges, such as deployment or post-combat injuries, can mitigate long-term HRQOL declines.
- Prepare for Financial Transitions: Caregivers may face abrupt changes in their financial situation when they stop providing care. Proactively offering financial planning resources and employment transition support could help prevent new or worsening economic hardship.
The end of caregiving is not the end of the story. For military caregivers, the transition out of caregiving often brings mixed emotional, social, and financial realities. Military service providers may consider how to holistically support caregivers not only while they are providing care—but also after that chapter has closed.
Reference
Brickell, T. A., Wright, M. M., Sullivan, J. K., Varbedian, N. V., Gillow, K. C., Baschenis, S. M., French, L. M., & Lange, R. T. (2023). Longitudinal health-related quality of life in military caregivers no longer providing care. Rehabilitation Psychology, 68(4), 396–406. https://doi.org/10.1037/rep0000489
Ramchand, R., Dalton, S., Dubowitz, T., Hyde, K., Malika, N., Morral, A. R., Ohana, E., Parks, V., Schell, T. L., Swabe, G., Trail, T. E., & Williams, K. M. (2024). America’s military and veteran caregivers: Hidden heroes emerging from the shadows (RR-A3212-1). RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3212-1.html
**Image Source: iStockphoto ID 157532370; DanielBendjy
