Behind Closed Doors: Caregiving Burden in Exclusive Two-Person Living Arrangements

This study examined caregiving burden among primary family caregivers in two-person households, consisting solely of home-based Long-Term Care Insurance recipients and their caregivers in South Korea. By analyzing 1,068 caregivers from the 2019 and 2022 Korean Long-Term Care Surveys (717 spouses; 351 adult children), we assessed burden across emotional support, IADL, housekeeping, and physical ADL domains. Spousal caregivers showed higher odds of IADL and physical ADL burden, and caregiving frequency was positively associated with their emotional support and housekeeping burden. Adult child caregivers were more likely to experience burden when caring for male or dementia-affected recipients. These findings suggest that burden was linked to caregiving frequency among spouses and to recipient characteristics among adult children. Spousal caregivers may face greater strain from age-related limitations and continuous care demands. Recipient-centered policies may not adequately address their needs; caregiver-inclusive assessments and targeted support merit consideration.