Associations Between Wisdom and Well-Being: A New Insight for Caregiver Empowerment?

Abstract

Objectives: This cross-sectional study examined the relation between wisdom and psychological well-being among dementia family caregivers. Caregiving burden has a direct negative impact as stipulated in the infamous stress and coping model. Nevertheless, some caregivers are able to maintain their well-being despite with the demanding tasks. Accumulation of knowledge and experience amid the caring process perhaps assimilate into caring wisdom, which could help the caregiver to relief the stress or even restore their well-being. Methods: A cohort of 100 dementia family caregivers in Hong Kong were referred from the public health institutions and community service units using convenience sampling. They completed guided questionnaires and interviews. Predictors for well-being such as caregiving burden, behavioural problems of the care recipients, social support for the carer, coping strategies and wisdom were measured. Results: Caring people with dementia of more behavioural problems was related to more caregiving burden (p<0.01). Conclusion: Interventions that aim to enhance the 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 wisdom construct could be incorporated into the model to explain caregiver resilience.