Skip to main content

National Study of Caregiving (NSOC)

The National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) was conducted in conjunction with NHATS Rounds 1, 5, and 7 data collection. Interviews were conducted with family and unpaid helpers to NHATS participants who were receiving assistance with self-care, mobility, medical or household activities. The interview included questions on caregiving activities, duration and intensity, support services sought and used, effects on caregiver participation in activities including work, and demographics. Round 7 included several new features: a longitudinal design in which Round 5 caregivers were reinterviewed, interviews with end-of-life caregivers, and a time diary interview.

NSOC instruments, a User Guide, and a Crosswalk between the instruments and codebook, are available under the Data documentation tab. NSOC data files can be obtained by going to Sensitive and Restricted Files under Data Access.

The first two rounds of NSOC were funded by the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) in the Department of Health and Human Services; the third round was funded by the National Institute on Aging.