Positive aspects of caregiving: Factor structure and association with depression and exemplary care

Abstract

Dementia and stroke are two of the most disabling conditions common in old age requiring substantial long-term care. Asia is particularly impacted with a rapidly aging population, which increases the demand for care and reduces the supply of manpower to provide formal care. There are unique advantages Asia enjoys, namely stronger family ties and availability of informal care including domestic helpers. In this symposium, Chan and colleagues will discuss factors affecting dementia caregivers’ wish for nursing home placement and actual behaviors of nursing home application. Among other factors, availability of domestic helper has significant influence on the caregivers’ wish, although the actual application is affected by other pragmatic considerations. Yek and colleagues explored factors contributing to positive recovery in first-ever stroke survivors, from both the person’s and the family caregiver’s perspectives, and noted a role of dyadic supportive relationship in adaptive coping after stroke. Wang and Lum approached the issue from a modified stress and coping model, tested the role of self-efficacy in Chinese family caregivers for dementia, and showed a mediating role of self-efficacy for both subjective (burden) and objective (general health) caregiver outcomes. Using exploratory factor analysis, Lou et al found that the construct of positive aspects of caregiving consists of an “affirming self” and an “enriching life” factor, which buffer depressive symptoms and fosters exemplary care. These findings from multiple studies of Chinese caregivers for dementia and stroke converge to highlight the psychological resources of the family that could be promoted and capitalized in Asian societies alike.