"Learning from those who know the system inside and out": Experiences of physician mothers who are informal caregivers. Fam Syst Health 2025 Jun;43(2):386-393
Date
12/12/2024Pubmed ID
39666478Pubmed Central ID
PMC12159254DOI
10.1037/fsh0000945Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85213277002 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
BACKGROUND: For physicians, the added responsibility of being an informal caregiver (IC, providing regular care for seriously ill loved ones) can create challenges such as increased rates of burnout that have received little attention. In this study, we explored physician mothers' informal caregiving experiences and probed their perspectives on how health systems can better support their needs.
METHOD: From September 14, 2021, to October 31, 2021, we distributed an online survey to a national sample of physician mothers who self-identified as ICs; survey questions examined their caregiving responsibilities and perspectives on workplace changes needed to support them.
RESULTS: Of 23 respondents, 48% were caregivers for a child, and 74% coresided with their care recipient; 26% spent on average 40 hr per week caregiving and 44% were ICs for 5 years or more. Main caregiving responsibilities included communicating with health care providers (91%) and managing and/or attending medical appointments (70%). Three central themes emerged from open-ended questions: (a) "It's an exhausting and unrecognized burden"; (b) "Our health care system is difficult to navigate, even for physicians"; and (c) "Flexible work schedules, no penalties." Within these themes, respondents described feeling unrecognized and unsupported as ICs in their workplaces.
CONCLUSION: Physician mothers who are ICs fill critical, demanding roles as health care leaders and caregivers at home. Balancing these dual roles presents significant challenges that can have adverse effects, leaving physician-mother ICs vulnerable to burnout and attrition. Targeted support strategies including flexible staffing models, expanded telehealth, and paid informal caregiving leave may improve experiences for physician ICs more generally. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
Author List
Semere W, Ponce AN, Linos E, Jagsi R, Mangurian C, Halley MCAuthor
Meghan C. Halley PhD, BA, MPH Assistant Professor in the Institute for Health and Humanity department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultCaregivers
Female
Humans
Middle Aged
Mothers
Physicians
Surveys and Questionnaires
