scholarly journals Societal perceptions of caregivers linked to culture across 20 countries: Evidence from a 10-billion-word database

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0251161
Author(s):  
Reuben Ng ◽  
Nicole Indran
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
The United States ◽  
Online Media ◽  
Aging Parents ◽  
Culturally Sensitive Interventions ◽  
Negative Perceptions ◽  
Care Deficit

Caregivers play an indispensable role in society. In 2017, 41 million family caregivers in the United States provided approximately 34 billion hours of care to their aging parents, spouses, partners and friends. The estimated economic value of their unpaid contributions amounted to $470 billion. Despite their invaluable contributions, caregivers often operate in a reality of inadequate social support. Little is known about the factors linked to the societal perceptions of caregivers, and our study seeks to contribute by filling this gap. Importantly, whether society honors or stigmatizes caregivers is critical as it could impact caregiving decisions and either exacerbate or ameliorate caregiver burden. We leveraged an online media database of 10 billion words collated from over 28 million articles, across 20 countries, to analyze societal perceptions of caregivers. Of the 20 countries, 18 evidenced neutral to positive perceptions of caregivers. Bangladesh and Ghana had the most positive perceptions, while Sri Lanka and Tanzania had the most negative perceptions. Aging demographics and culture (individualism, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance) were significantly associated with perceptions of caregivers. Findings suggest that positive perceptions of caregivers can be better cultivated when caring is lauded as a virtuous act that aids in reducing the care deficit. This study is among the first to analyze the societal perceptions of caregivers globally, and lays the groundwork to design culturally sensitive interventions that increase society’s appreciation for caregivers.

A comparison of caregiver burden between long-term care and developmental disability family caregivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 781-793
Author(s):  
Alison Pattison ◽  
Elissa Torres ◽  
Lori Wieters ◽  
Jennifer G. Waldschmidt
Keyword(s):  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Developmental Disability ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Role Strain ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Personal Strain

Background As the United States’ population ages and health concerns rise, the family caregiver occupation will continue to be an integral part of the health care system. Aims It is important to examine the burden that family caregivers experience so they can seek out additional training and services to maintain their own well-being. The researchers examined caregiver burden from a perspective of developmentally disabled and long-term care. Methods The researchers examined difference in Zarit scores, guilt, burden and personal strain for 72 caregivers of people with developmental disability (DD) or people with long-term care (LTC) needs. The researchers also examined differences in these based on whether the individual was caregiving for family or “others”. Results For DD, there were significant differences in Zarit, role strain and personal strain; caring for others has significantly lower scores on these. Role strain was significantly higher than personal strain, which was significantly higher than guilt for both LTC and DD groups. Conclusions Given these findings, it is important to support family caregivers first and foremost with role strain, especially for those caring for family members with DD. This support could be given through personal counselling, caregiver training, non-profit social service resources, and support groups for family caregivers.

scholarly journals Factors Related to the Burden of Family Caregivers of Elderly Patients with Spinal Tumours in Northwest China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Luo ◽  
yongchun Zhou ◽  
Haiping Liu ◽  
Jing Hu
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Elderly Patients ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Care Process ◽  
Cancer Site ◽  
Spinal Tumours ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Background: Family caregivers of elderly patients with spinal tumours experience considerable pain and burden during the care process. This study aims to investigate the factors associated with caregiver burden in family caregivers of elderly patients with spinal tumours. Methods: A total of 220 elderly patients with spinal tumours (age ≥ 65 years) hospitalized at the spine centre of our hospital from January 2015 to December 2017 and their family caregivers were recruited for this cross-sectional study. All participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire. Caregiver burden, social support and self-efficacy were assessed by the Chinese version of the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), respectively. The factors related to caregiver burden were analysed by multivariate analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The 216 elderly patients with spinal tumours were 71.59 ± 8.49 years old, and their caregivers were 70.46 ± 9.13 years old. A total of 170 patients were cared for by their spouses, who accounted for 78.7% of all caregivers. The ZBI score for the family caregivers was 35.5 ± 7.5, and most caregivers (84.5%) reported a moderate or heavy burden. The factors related to caregiver burden included patient paralysis, the primary cancer site, chemotherapy and/or radiation, cognitive dysfunction, functional status, monthly income, pain score, caregivers’ SSRS score, and GSE score. Conclusions: Most family caregivers of elderly patients with spinal tumours have a considerable caregiver burden. Interventions based on social support and self-efficacy can help reduce caregiver burden.

scholarly journals Social support and depressive symptoms among family caregivers of older people with disabilities in four provinces of urban China: the mediating role of caregiver burden

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaqin Zhong ◽  
Jian Wang ◽  
Stephen Nicholas
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Older People ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Chinese Family ◽  
Negatively Associated

Abstract Background To examine the relationship between social support and depressive symptoms of Chinese family caregivers of older people with disabilities, and to evaluate the role of caregiver burden as a potential mediator of that relationship. Methods A survey questionnaire was completed face-to-face by 567 primary family caregivers of older people with disabilities in four provinces in China. Covariates that may affect depressive symptoms, such as the characteristics of disabled people (socio-economic factors, functional and cognitive capacity) and caregivers (caregiver duration and self-rated health of caregivers) were collected. Social support was measured by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS); depressive symptoms were assessed by the shortened 10 item version of Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D); and the caregiver burden was assessed by the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Results The prevalence of depressive symptoms among caregivers was 37.7%. Higher levels of social support was negatively associated with lower depressive symptoms. This relationship was partially mediated by the caregiver burden, where higher levels of the caregiver burden were negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Furthermore, caregivers who were women, spent extended time in caregiving and were in poor health, reported significantly higher depressive symptoms. Conclusions Our results indicated that social support was negatively associated with depressive symptoms in family caregivers and in the caregiver burden. The caregiver burden partially mediated the social support-depressive symptoms association. Interventions for family caregivers should include increasing social support, health monitoring and structured interventions to reduce the caregiver burden and attenuate family caregivers’ depressive symptoms.

scholarly journals Caregiver Burden of Family Caregivers of Patients With Dementia in a Shanghai Community

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 751-751
Author(s):  
Juan Li ◽  
Zhijian Liu ◽  
You Yin
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Service Utilization ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Demographic Information ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Family Caregiver Burden

Abstract This study explored the level of and factors related to Chinese dementia family caregiver burden. We recruited 109 dyads of patients with dementia and their family caregivers from communities in Shanghai, China. Caregiver burden was assessed by Caregiver Burden Inventory. We used multivariate linear regression model to investigate factors associated with caregiver burden, including patients’ socio-demographic information, cognitive function, ADL, neuropsychiatric symptoms, caregivers’ depression, coping strategy, social support and community service utilization. The level of caregiver burden was moderate (65.92±16.74). The patients’ cognitive function and social support were negatively associated with caregiver burden (β=﹣0.850, p＜0.01, β=﹣1.787, p=0.044, respectively). Caregivers’ depression and community service utilization were positively associated with caregiver burden (β=2.109, p＜0.01,β=1.215, p＜0.01, respectively). These findings suggest enhancing social support and reducing depression of caregivers may have the potential of decreasing caregiver burden.

scholarly journals The role of caregiver burden in the familial functioning, social support, and quality of family life of family caregivers of elders with dementia

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiromi Kimura ◽  
Midori Nishio ◽  
Hiromko Kukihara ◽  
Kayoko Koga ◽  
Yuriko Inoue
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Quality Of Family Life

scholarly journals Predictors of Symptoms Remission Among Family Caregivers of Individuals With Dementia Receiving REACH VA

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 376-380
Author(s):  
Cory K. Chen ◽  
Nicole Nehrig ◽  
Karen S. Abraham ◽  
Binhuan Wang ◽  
Amy P. Palfrey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Behavioral Intervention ◽  
Care Recipient ◽  
Care Recipients ◽  
Attachment Quality ◽  
Affective Instability ◽  
Symptom Remission

Resources for Enhancing All Caregivers Health (REACH VA) is a behavioral intervention for caregivers of individuals with dementia disseminated in the VA. Although shown to improve caregiver and care recipient outcomes, some caregivers continue to experience depression or caregiver burden following the intervention. Factors that predict symptom remission following REACH VA are unknown. The present study investigated attachment, social support, and psychopathology as predictors of symptom remission for family caregivers who completed REACH VA. Caregivers who do not remit perceive lower levels of social support from loved ones, endorse poorer attachment quality, and have more personality disorder characteristics, particularly affective instability. These factors that impair caregivers’ abilities to be effectively attuned to the needs of their care recipients and to reap benefits from a brief and focused behavioral intervention such as REACH VA. Interventions that target caregiver interpersonal functioning and emotion regulation skills may be helpful to those who do not respond to REACH VA.

scholarly journals Predictors of Depressive Symptoms among Family Caregivers of Patients with Dementia in Java, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 549-558
Author(s):  
Yossie Susanti Eka Putri ◽  
Yajai Sitthimongkol ◽  
Virapun Wirojratana ◽  
Natkamol Chansatitporn
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Relationship

Objective: Depressive symptoms are common mental health problems among the family caregivers of patients with dementia. However, little is known about the prevalence of depressive symptoms among the family caregivers of patients with dementia in Indonesia. This study aimed to examine: 1) the factors predicting depressive symptoms, 2) the mediating role of social support in the relationship between burden and depressive symptoms, and 3) the association between depressive symptoms and healthcare utilization among family caregivers.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 250 family caregivers of patients with dementia recruited from four hospitals in Java, Indonesia. Data were collected by Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI); the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q), the Mastery scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, hierarchical multiple linear regression, and Baron and Kenny's regression method were used to analyze the data.Results: The results revealed that about a quarter of the participants (24.8%) experienced depressive symptoms. Caregiver burden, mastery, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, and social support explained 45.5% of the variance in the prevalence of depressive symptoms among family caregivers (R2=0.455). Social support also partially mediated the association between caregiver burden and depressive symptoms. There was no association between depressive symptoms and the use of healthcare services among the family caregivers.Conclusion: The findings revealed that social support is a mediating factor affecting the relationship between caregiver burden and depressive symptoms. Interventions targeting social support to help alleviate caregiver burden would be effective in helping reduce depressive symptoms in the family caregivers of patients with dementia.

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