Abstract: Technological changes have led to important advances in medical diagnoses and treatments
that prolong the informal care process. Support from the personal network of informal caregivers is
an undervalued resource and the changes that have occurred over time are unknown. The aim of
this study was to analyze the changes in personal network support among informal caregivers and
to examine the effect of these changes on self-perceived caregiver health, with a focus on differences
between men and women and caregivers with high and low levels of burdenWe also investigated
caregiver perceptions and explanations of changes to their support network (losses and additions
and no change). Using a mixed-methods approach, data were obtained from 32 caregivers that
were intentionally selected in Spain, who were interviewed twice with a one-year interval. In the
quantitative phase, personal networks analysis was performed with Egonet software, which obtained
data on the composition and functional content in social support from 1600 personal relationships
(25 alters for each ego in the two waves). In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were
conducted in the two waves with a guide in order to explore the changes in informal support resources
over time. The selected men with high levels of burden pointed out a loss of network support with
more discouraging reports compared with the low-burden male caregivers. Furthermore, the selected
women with low burden levels mentioned losses too; however, their reports were more positive.
Women reported improved health, especially those with low burden scores in the first wave and
those who did not lose support. Caregivers with a high initial burden and who lost support reported
worse health, particularly men and women with a strong sense of duty toward care. Social support
from personal networks is important for caregiver health and its effects are influenced by gender
roles. Our findings could help by improving the relational and social capital of informal caregivers
and adapting them to the new needs of formal home care systems.
