Association between wisdom and caregiver well-being: a new horizon?

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: This cross-sectional study examined the relations between stress and coping predictors and psychological well-being among dementia family caregivers. Caregiving burden has a direct negative impact as stipulated in the infamous stress and coping model. Whether the caregivers would develop depressive symptoms depend on the amount of stress they have encountered, such as the severity of care recipients, level of caring demand, the availability of coping resources, and the ability of the carers to adjust. Although literature suggests caregiving afford benefits, these components have not been conceptualized as wisdom. The construct has never been incorporated into the model to entail caregiver resilience. METHOD: A cohort of 108 dementia family caregivers in Hong Kong completed questionnaires and interviews. Predictors for well-being included caregiving parameters, social support, coping strategies and wisdom. RESULTS: Similar to previous empirical findings: caring people with dementia of more behavioural problems was related to more caregiving burden (p<0.01), and the caregivers were more depressed (p<0.05). Better perception of social support helps to reduce caregivers burden (p<0.05). Regression analyses indicated that after controlling for the effects of relevant caregiving demographic parameters, caregiver stress and coping resources, higher level of wisdom predicting better wellbeing (_=-0.20; t=-2.15; p<0.05). Wisdom was also associated with more use of problem-based coping strategy (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Findings support interventions that aim to enhance the psychological well-being of dementia caregivers should concentrate on improving their wisdom, so that greater exposure to caregiving stress does not translate into greater distress. The moderating effect of wisdom to caregiver stress is yet to be investigated.