Clinical Associate Professor Louanne Bakk and colleagues publish article, "Timing of immigration effects asset change among Hispanic caregivers of older family members"

Congratulations to Clinical Associate Professor Louanne Bakk and her colleagues in the publication of their article, "Timing of immigration effects asset change among Hispanic caregivers of older family members" in the  Journal of Family and Economic Issues.

Cadet, T., Burke, S., Bakk, L., Naesh, M., Grudzien, A., O’Driscoll, J., & Alcide, A. (2020). Timing of immigration effects asset change among Hispanic caregivers of older family members. Journal of Family and Economic Issues.

Given the cultural value of family in Hispanic culture, older Hispanic immigrants are likely to have family caregivers. This study examined the economic implications of caring for older Hispanic adults regarding non-housing financial wealth over time. Using the 2008, 2010, and 2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and RAND HRS data files, this study compares changes in the non-housing financial wealth between 2008 and 2012 by caregiving and immigration status among Hispanics. This study examined differences in assets between Hispanic caregivers and non-caregivers and more specifically examined the subpopulation of Hispanic caregivers who immigrated prior to and after 1968 as compared to U.S.-born caregivers to better understand the effect of the Immigration and Nationality Amendment Act of 1965 on asset change. Results indicate that caregiving itself did not have a statistically significant association with wealth, but the timing of immigration to the US had a statistically significant correlation (p < .05) with changes in the financial wealth. The findings of this study have implications for policy and program development targeting older adults and caregiving for this population.