New model reveals how disability caregiving reshapes parents' lives over decades
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Researchers are sounding the alarm on the long-term impact of caring for children with developmental disabilities in the absence of proper societal supports across the life course. A new conceptual study, published in the Journal of Family Theory & Review, proposes a new model for understanding and evaluating caregiving, one that focuses on the bigger picture: how caregiving shapes parents' lives over many years. By rethinking caregiving as a lifelong process, the study aims to improve support for millions of families worldwide.
Rather than concentrating on single caregiving moments that cause immediate stress, as previous frameworks have done, the new "life course care stress model" looks at how caregiving and its impacts unfold over time and are influenced by social environments, timing and long-term effects.
"By focusing only on short-term stress, we've missed how caregiving experiences build up over the course of one's life, influencing health, work, and identity," said Liangqi (Cecilia) Shen, a doctoral student at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. "The long-term impact, on both caregivers and the children they care for, can be profound."
A key insight from the study is that stress often comes not only from caregiving but from gaps in support systems. For example, families may struggle because services are unavailable or poorly coordinated, particularly as children with disabilities become adults.
"What we found is that stress is often caused by mismatches between what families need and what society provides," Shen said. "Our theoretical framework shifts the focus from blaming caregivers to addressing structural barriers."
The framework also emphasizes that caregiving outcomes are not always immediate. Over time, caregiving can affect parents' health, careers, finances and social lives. These effects can accumulate, creating long-term disadvantages that can reshape a person's whole life trajectory.
Importantly, the model highlights that parents are not passive. They actively make decisions, such as adjusting work or seeking support, that influence future stress and outcomes, even though these choices may be limited by social and policy constraints.
"Caregiving doesn't happen in isolation," said co-author Rita X. Hu, an assistant professor at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice at the University of Chicago. "Parents' lives are deeply connected to their children's development, and these linked lives shape decisions, opportunities and outcomes for both over decades."
The authors say this new model can guide future research and policy, especially long-term studies that track caregiving over decades. It also suggests the need for flexible, life stage-specific supports rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.
More information
Liangqi Shen et al, Reframing Parental Caregiving for Individuals With Developmental Disabilities Through a Life Course Care Stress Model, Journal of Family Theory & Review (2026). DOI: 10.1111/jftr.70079
Key medical concepts
Developmental DisabilitiesHealth
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Allied healthPsychology & Mental healthPediatricsChildren's health Provided by University of Toronto Who's behind this story?
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