The Experience of Adult Children Caregiving for Aging Parents

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-98
Author(s):  
Kimberly Conway
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Aging Parents ◽  
Child Caregivers ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological ◽  
Caregiver Group

When the normal progression of life for an aging person is interrupted by a decline in physical and or mental abilities, adult children are often suddenly faced with assuming care of their parent(s). Currently, adult child caregivers of aging parents work up to 100 hours per month at caregiving. Most existing literature is focused on informal caregivers, which can consist of spouses, relatives, and friends’ caregiving for persons with debilitating illnesses. Despite the amount of time dedicated to parental caregiving, little is known about the experience of this exclusive caregiver group. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the experience of adult children caregiving for aging parents at any stage of health. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to interview six daughters and one daughter-in-law. Themes were identified and presented through the use of narratives and poetry. The participants expressed they felt unprepared for caregiving and their culture had a direct impact on the expectations of caregiving. A myriad of unpleasant emotions and loss were voiced, yet their outlooks remained extremely positive. The overall health of adult child caregivers needs to be supported to prepare them for what lies ahead with caregiving. Caregivers report their loved one(s) required several hospitalizations, which lead to performing medical/nursing tasks at home. Nursing then has a unique opportunity during discharge preparation, to identify those who need community, state, and faith-based services. Replication is needed to address the limitation of the number of participants, ethnic, and gender diversity.

scholarly journals The Enduring Strength of Biology and Gender: Care for Aging Parents Among Adult Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 908-908
Author(s):  
Sarah Patterson ◽  
Robert Schoeni ◽  
Vicki Freedman ◽  
Judith Seltzer
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Social Norm ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Filial Obligation ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Aging Parents ◽  
The Social ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
And Gender

Abstract Family complexity in the form of step-relationships are increasing across cohorts. Filial obligation, or the social norm that adult children should care for aging parents, are generally weaker in stepfamilies. Further, gender continues to be a main axis of stratification of who provides care within families. Taken together, we test whether biological versus step ties, the gender of the adult child, and the interaction between these two factors are associated with helping aging parents (ages 65 and older) with functional or health limitation based care needs. We use Round 5 (2015) of the National Health and Aging Trends Study. Results illustrate the enduring strength of both biological and gendered ties, with biological daughters being the most likely to help an aging parent, followed by biological sons, step-daughters, and lastly step-sons. This pattern holds even when we control for important characteristics of both the adult child and the care receiver. As families become more complex, these findings could mean that gaps in unmet care needs will emerge, especially for older adults who only have stepchildren.

Being an adult child of an elderly person living in a nursing home: a phenomenological approach to the Turkish case

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pelin Önder Erol ◽  
Elif Gün
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Filial Piety ◽  
Elderly Person ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Elderly Parents ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose A long-established cultural norm of filial piety may cause ambivalent feelings for adult children who are considered the primary caregivers for their elderly parents in Turkish culture, and whose parents have been placed into nursing homes. The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight to the lived experiences of adult children of elderly people living in a nursing home in Turkey. Design/methodology/approach Drawing upon dramaturgical theory and phenomenological methodology, the authors conducted interviews with ten adult children whose elderly parents had been admitted to a nursing home in Izmir, Turkey. Multi-stage purposeful random sampling was used as the sampling scheme. Thematic analysis was performed to interpret the data. Findings Three themes emerged from the data: adult children’s coping strategies, the ways in which the adult children rationalize their decisions, and the ways in which the adult children manage the placement process. The interviews revealed that the adult children often feel like social outcasts and experience a wide range of difficulties, including social pressures, their own inner dilemmas, and negotiations with their elderly parents. Originality/value An exploration for the lived experiences of adult children relating to the nursing home placement of their elderly parents contributes an insight about the well-established cultural norms that produce feelings of ambivalence.

scholarly journals Revisiting Intergenerational Contact and Relationship Quality in Later Life: Parental Characteristics Matter

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 139-149
Author(s):  
Hye Won Chai ◽  
Steven H. Zarit ◽  
Karen L. Fingerman
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Aging Parents ◽  
Life Problems ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Middle Aged Adult ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Contact and relationship quality between adult children and aging parents are two widely used indicators of intergenerational solidarity and are often assumed to be positively correlated. However, the association between the two may depend on characteristics of the parent involved. Using Family Exchanges Study Wave 1, this study assessed whether parental difficulties—measured as functional limitations and life problems—and gender moderated the associations between middle-aged adults’ contact and relationship quality with their parents. We found that more frequent email or phone contact was associated with worse relationship quality for fathers who had functional limitations. For life problems, however, more contact was not related to relationship quality for fathers with life problems. The associations did not differ by mother’s difficulties. These results suggest that frequent contact between middle-aged adult children and aging parents does not uniformly reflect better relationship quality but rather depends on parents’ characteristics.

scholarly journals There at Any Distance? Geographic Proximity and the Presence of Adult Children in Older People’s’ Confidant Networks

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 512-512
Author(s):  
Markus Schafer ◽  
Haosen Sun
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Nuclear Family ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Core Network ◽  
Geographic Proximity ◽  
Aging Parents ◽  
Intergenerational Ties ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Level 2 ◽  
Living Adult

Abstract Adult children are key members of their aging parents’ close social network, often providing emotional and advisory supports. Still, adult children are not a guaranteed presence in older people’s core discussion networks. Geographical distance is a leading explanation for why some children are excluded from the confidant network, but we hypothesize that certain parent- and dyadic-level factors make these intergenerational ties more resilient to distance. Using wave six of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe, we identified whether a living adult child was also a member of the parent’s egocentric confidant network. We modeled the effect of the child (Level 1) and parent (Level 2) characteristics on the exclusion of a child from the core network using hierarchical logit models. We found that fifty-eight percent of children were excluded from a parent’s network. Parents were more likely to exclude those who lived more than 25 km compared to children who lived within 5 km. The impact of distance was exacerbated among parents who were older, partnered, or had four or more children. Parents with higher education and good computer skills were less sensitive to longer distances when listing a child as a confidant. Finally, parents who had confidants outside of the nuclear family and who lived in Northern Europe were less likely to exclude a child over 100 km from their confidant network. Together, results indicate that a number of demographic factors and personal and social resources contribute to the elasticity of parent-child ties across long distances.

scholarly journals Caregiver Stigma and Burden in Memory Disorders: An Evaluation of the Effects of Caregiver Type and Gender

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phoebe V. Kahn ◽  
Heather A. Wishart ◽  
Jennifer S. Randolph ◽  
Robert B. Santulli
Keyword(s):  
Short Form ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spousal Caregivers ◽  
Similar Data ◽  
Dementia Patients ◽  
Child Caregivers ◽  
Male Caregivers ◽  
And Gender

Despite considerable gains in public awareness of dementia, dementia patients and their caregivers continue to be stigmatized. Previous work has explored stigma and burden among adult children of persons with dementia in Israel, but no similar data exist for spousal caregivers or caregivers in general in the United States. This study examines the differences in stigma and burden experienced by spousal and adult child caregivers and male and female caregivers of persons with dementia. Eighty-two caregivers were given the Zarit Burden Inventory Short Form (ZBI) and the Caregiver Section of the Family Stigma in Alzheimer’s Disease Scale (FS-ADS-C). Scores on the FS-ADS-C and ZBI were positively correlated (rs=.51,p<.001). Female caregivers reported experiencing more stigma on the FS-ADS-C (t(80)= −4.37,p<.001) and more burden on the ZBI (t(80)= −2.68,p=.009) compared to male caregivers, and adult child caregivers reported experiencing more stigma on the FS-ADS-C (t(30.8)= −2.22,p=.034) and more burden on the ZBI (t(80)= −2.65,p=.010) than spousal caregivers. These results reinforce the importance of support for caregivers, particularly adult child and female caregivers who may experience higher levels of stigma and burden.

scholarly journals THE ROLE OF AMBIVALENCE ON WELL-BEING OF AGING PARENTS WHO HAVE A DISABLED CHILD: MULTILEVEL MEDIATION APPROACH

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S37-S38
Author(s):  
Eun Ha Namkung
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Aging Parents ◽  
Adults With Disabilities

Abstract According to the family systems theory, strains from parenting an adult with disabilities may spillover to parents’ relationships with their other children and disrupt family dynamics and their well-being in later life. This study examined whether parental ambivalence toward their non-disabled children is greater in families of adults with disabilities [developmental disabilities (DD) or serious mental illnesses (SMI)] than families without an adult child with disabilities. The study also investigated whether ambivalence mediates the associations of having an adult child with DD or SMI on parents’ health. Data were from the 2011 Wisconsin Longitudinal Study in which aging parents (Mage = 71; n = 6,084) were asked about their relationship with each of their adult children. Multilevel regression models and multilevel structural equation models (MSEM) were estimated to analyze the data. Our findings showed that parents of an adult with SMI felt greater ambivalence toward their non-disabled adult children than comparison group parents of adults without disabilities, whereas no significant differences were found between parents of an adult with DD and comparison group parents. Parental ambivalence toward their non-disabled adult children played a significant indirect role in the negative association between having a child with SMI and parental physical and mental health, after adjusting for parent- and child-characteristics associated with parental health and/or ambivalence. The findings have implications for clinical practice with aging families of adults with disabilities and suggest the need for additional research to better understand intergenerational dynamics in these families.

scholarly journals Intimacy and Intergenerational Relations in Rural China

Sociology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 1034-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jieyu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Gender Norms ◽  
Qualitative Difference ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Intergenerational Relations ◽  
Intimate Relationship ◽  
And Gender

This article applies the concept of intimacy to examine relationships between adult children and their parents in rural China – an area which has been predominantly located in an obligatory framework. I reveal a qualitative difference in support between relationships built on intimate ties and those bound by duty and obligation. A unilateral emphasis on obligation-based relationships can deprive both the parent and adult child generations of agency and autonomy, which can be disempowering for both. The complex relations between intimacy and obligation are the product of local socio-economic circumstances and gender norms. Although traditional patrilineal and patrilocal culture excludes married daughters from the filial discourse surrounding their own parents, they are often considered to have the most intimate relationship with their parents. Paradoxically, the practices of intimacy between aged parents and their married daughters strengthen the natal ties that facilitate modifications to patrilocal and patrilineal customs.

scholarly journals Are Spouses More Likely to be Depressed Than Adult Children in Dementia Care? A Mixed-Methods Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 624-624
Author(s):  
Jinyu Liu
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Spousal Caregivers ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Subjective Burden ◽  
Child Caregivers

Abstract Using a mixed-methods approach, this study examines caregiver burden and depressive symptoms of Chinese American spouses and adult-children who provided care for their spouse or parents with dementia. Quantitative data were collected from a questionnaire-based survey in 124 Chinese caregivers in New York City and narrative data were gathered from in-depth interviews with 27 of these caregivers. The results of linear regression show that there was no difference in objective burden (caring tasks) between spousal and adult-child caregivers, but spousal caregivers reported significantly higher levels of subjective burden and depressive symptoms. Based on the structural equation modeling, it was found that subjective burden significantly mediated the association between being a spousal caregiver on depressive symptoms. The narrative data show that, compared to the adult-child caregivers, spousal caregivers were more likely to express their worries about the sequence of death (what will happen if they die earlier than their care receiver?).

scholarly journals Caregiving Between Spouse and Adult Child Caregivers of Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 797-797
Author(s):  
Nicole Garcia ◽  
Anna Papazyan ◽  
Sarah Choi ◽  
Yeonsu Song
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Care Recipients ◽  
Falling Asleep ◽  
Child Caregivers ◽  
Spouse Caregivers ◽  
Measure Of Dependence

Abstract Prior studies of caregiving characteristics by type of caregivers are inconsistent, particularly those who are spouses and adult children. This study examined caregiving characteristics between spouses and adult children of cognitively impaired older adults. We analyzed phone-screening data from an ongoing trial of a dyadic sleep intervention program for persons with dementia and their caregivers. Data included spouse caregivers (n=52) and adult child caregivers (n=24). Nearly all participants (95%) lived with their care recipients (91% with dementia). Types of caregiving activities were measured by activities of daily living [ADLs] and instrumental ADLs [IADLs] with their levels of intensity (0 [total independent] to 3 [total dependent]). Care recipients’ sleep was measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Nighttime Behavioral Subscale (8 items). Analyses included Pearson correlations and t-tests. Adult child caregivers helped their care recipients at significantly higher levels as indicated by their measure of dependence in dressing (1.46±1.22 vs. 0.87±1.16, p=0.044), continence (1.22±1.38 vs. 0.54±1.04, p=0.021), laundry (2.87±0.46 vs. 2.13±1.24, p=0.007), and transportation (3.00±0.00 vs. 2.63±0.79, respectively; p=0.031) than spouse caregivers. Adult child caregivers also reported their care recipients having more difficulty falling asleep (56% vs. 19%, respectively; p=0.004) and having more numbers of sleep problems than spouse caregivers (3.54±2.08 vs. 2.48±1.51, respectively; p=0.014). The findings suggest that adult child caregivers may involve higher levels of caregiving responsibilities during daytime and nighttime, compared to spouse caregivers. Further research needs to explore complimentary ways to involve spouse and adult child caregivers in the care of this vulnerable population.

Coping Strategies Used by Aging Parental Caregivers of Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
pp. 104438942091312
Author(s):  
Christina N. Marsack-Topolewski ◽  
Kaitlyn P. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Adults With Autism ◽  
Multiple Strategies ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological

Caregiving can be a lifelong responsibility for parents of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined coping strategies and barriers experienced by parents of adult children with ASD. The 51 parents who participated in this study were at least 50 years old and had an adult child (18+) with ASD. Semistructured, one-on-one interviews were conducted with parents to understand their experiences of having an adult child with ASD. Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach, thematic analysis revealed seven themes related to parents’ coping strategies or lack thereof. Themes discussed include faith/spirituality, physical activity/fitness, self-focused coping, work, acceptance, reliance on social support, and barriers to coping. Most parents discussed having at least one coping strategy, with some sharing multiple strategies.

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