What is the impact of high caregiver strain on prescription drug use?
In 2001, the average employee with high caregiver strain spent approximately $236 per year on prescription medicine: 1.6 times more than the $172 per year spent by those with low caregiver strain. The higher drug expenditures reported by those suffering from this form of work-life conflict are not surprising, given the fact that they are more likely than respondents with other forms of work-life conflict to have sought care in a hospital setting (either as an inpatient, in the emergency department, or as an outpatient) in the six months prior to the study being done. It would appear that caregiver strain is associated with an increased incidence of illness that requires medical treatment and prescription drugs.
