Care Stress Experienced by Caregivers of Elderly Individuals With Disabilities and the Coping Strategies Utilized: A Survey Study in the City of Nanjing, China

The objectives of this study were to (1) analyze the circumstances of caregivers of elderly individuals with disabilities; (2) present their levels of care stress; (3) examine family, market, and government factors that help reduce this care stress; and (4) identify the most effective method of alle...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family issues 2019-07, Vol.40 (10), p.1396-1414
Main Authors: Shen, Suyan, Wan, Yangbo, Xie, Yong, Chen, Zhe, Li, Fang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Caregiver burden
Caregivers
Coping
Coping strategies
Counseling
Disability
Families & family life
Government (Administrative Body)
Older people
People with disabilities
Psychological distress
Sociodemographics
Stress
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The objectives of this study were to (1) analyze the circumstances of caregivers of elderly individuals with disabilities; (2) present their levels of care stress; (3) examine family, market, and government factors that help reduce this care stress; and (4) identify the most effective method of alleviating stress for these individuals. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using standardized questionnaires. Caregivers experienced a moderate level of stress, which increased with time. Spouse caregivers experienced highest care stress, with psychological stress being greatest. All caregiver groups received different levels of care assistance from family, market, and government. Most received support from family, few paid for professional care market services, and most were unsatisfied with government care services. Stress was associated differently with care time, care assistance, and sociodemographic characteristics. Spouse caregivers, psychological counseling, and quality of public care services require further attention, with an integrated care system required to help alleviate care stress among caregivers.
ISSN:0192-513X
1552-5481
DOI:10.1177/0192513X19841659