Modelling the association between gender and self-rated bodily pains among informal caregivers of older adults in Ghana

There are variations in the intensity of informal caregiving tasks between male and female carers. As a result, male and female informal caregivers are likely to experience unequal impacts of caregiving, including self-rated bodily pains. However, what we do not know is whether there is an association between gender and self-rated bodily pains among informal caregivers of older adults in Ghana. A better understanding of the association between gender and self-rated bodily pains would help inform gender-specific health interventions to address the burden of bodily pains among informal caregivers of older adults in Ghana. This study aimed to examine the association between gender and self-rated bodily pains among informal caregivers of older adults in Ghana. A cross-sectional study involving an analytic sample of 1,853 informal caregivers of older adults was conducted between July and September, 2022 in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The dependent variable was self-rated bodily pains, whereas the principal independent variable was gender. Control variables included age, marital status, religious affiliation, education, income, employment status, living arrangements and self-rated health. Binary logistic regression models were fitted to examine the role of gender in self-rated bodily pains. Statistical analyses were performed in R Software (v4.1.2; R Core Team 2021). Statistical significance was set at a p-value of 0.05 or less. In Model 1, male caregivers had 16.6% lower odds of reporting bodily pains compared with female caregivers; however, this difference was not statistically significant (COR = 0.834, 95% CI: 0.679–1.024, p = 0.083). In Model 2, male caregivers similarly had 6.2% lower odds of experiencing bodily pains than female caregivers, although this association was also not statistically significant (AOR = 0.938, 95% CI: 0.751–1.172, p = 0.576). In the final model (Model 3), however, a statistically significant difference in the odds of self-rated bodily pains between male and female caregivers was observed, with male caregivers having 26.4% lower odds (AOR = 0.736, 95% CI: 0.571–0.948, p = 0.018). Notably, the estimated reduction in the odds of bodily pain among male caregivers was 16.6% in Model 1, attenuated to 6.2% in Model 2, and strengthened to 26.4% in Model 3. The study has highlighted differences in self-rated bodily pains between male and female informal caregivers of older adults. We highlight the need for gender-specific health interventions and support to minimise the experience of bodily pains between male and female informal caregivers of older adults in Ghana.