Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-nr4z6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-01T02:25:21.329Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cultural Predictors of Caregiving Burden of Chinese-Canadian Family Caregivers*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Daniel W.L. Lai
Daniel W.L. Lai*
Affiliation:
University of Calgary
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to:/Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à : Daniel W.L. Lai, Ph.D., Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4. (dlai@ucalgary.ca)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The growth of research knowledge on culturally diverse family caregivers for the aging population lags behind the increase of culturally diverse populations in Canada. This study examines the effects of culture, as manifested through cultural variables, on the caregiving burden of family caregivers in a Chinese-Canadian community. A random sample of 339 Chinese-Canadian caregivers for elderly relatives completed a telephone survey. Results of hierarchical stepwise multiple regression analysis reported the predicting effects of culture-related variables on caregiving burden. The findings indicated that being an immigrant, having a Western or non-Western religion as compared to having no religion, and having a lower level of filial piety, predicted a higher level of caregiving burden. Chinese tradition does not exempt the caregivers from being burdened. Policies and practices should address the needs of family caregivers according to the intra-cultural variations identified in this study.

Résumé

Les communautés culturelles se font de plus en plus nombreuses au Canada, tandis que les connaissances sur la prestation de soins familiaux auprès des personnes âgées dans ces milieux ethniques différents stagnent. l'étude examine l'influence de la culture, qui s'exprime par certains paramètres, sur le fardeau des dispensateurs de soins familiaux dans une communauté canadienne d'origine chinoise. l'échantillon tiré au hasard comprend 339 Canadiens d'origine chinoise, dispensateurs de soins auprès d'un proche âgé, qui ont répondu à un sondage téléphonique. l'analyse de régression multiple hiérarchique rend compte de l'effet des paramètres culturels sur la lourdeur du fardeau des soins. Selon les constatations, le fait d'être un immigrant, de religion occidentale ou non, plutôt qu'athée, éprouvant peu de piété filiale sont des indicateurs prévisionnels d'un très lourd fardeau de soins. La tradition chinoise n'exempte pas le dispensateur de soins de son fardeau. Les politiques et les pratiques devraient combler les besoins des dispensateurs de soins familiaux en fonction des facteurs intraculturels précisés dans l'étude.

Keywords

agingculturecaregivingChinesefamily aregiversburdenethnic minorityvieillissementcultureprestation de soins familiauxChinoisdispensateurs de soins familiauxfardeauminorité ethnique
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 26 , Issue S1: Hidden Costs/Invisible Contributions of Caregiving / Coûts cachés et contributions invisibles des soins , Winter/Hiver 2007 , pp. 133 - 147
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

Funding for this research was received from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. Completion of this manuscript was supported by the Hidden Costs and Invisible Contributions Project funded through the Major Collaborative Research Initiative Program of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The author would also like to thank Jacqueline Berger, Wendy Leonenko, Phyllis Luk, and Grace Leung for their assistance in preparing this manuscript.

References

Abrahamse, A.F., Morrison, P.A., & Bolton, N.M. (1994). Surname analysis for estimating local concentration of Hispanics and Asians. Population Research and Policy Review, 13, 383–398.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Abramson, T.A., Trejo, L., & Lai, D.W.L. (2002). Culture and mental health: Providing appropriate services for a diverse older population. Generations, 24(1), 21–27.Google Scholar
Biegel, D.E., Sales, E., & Schulz, R. (1991). Family caregiving in chronic illness: Alzheimer's disease, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, and stroke. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Burnette, D., & Mui, A.C. (1995). In-home and community-based service utilization by three groups of elderly Hispanics: A national perspective. Social Work Research, 19, 197–205.Google ScholarPubMed
Chan, S.F. (2002, October). Validation of the Chinese version of Zarit Burden Interview. Poster session presented at the International Psychogeriatric Association Asia Pacific Regional Meeting, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.Google Scholar
Chappell, N.L., & Penning, M. (1996). Behavioural problems and distress among caregivers of people with dementia. Ageing and Society, 16, 57–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chee, Y.K., & Levkoff, S.E. (2001). Culture and dementia: Accounts by family caregivers and health professionals for dementia-affected elders in South Korea. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 16(2), 111–125.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chi, I. (1999). China and the family unit: Implications for employed caregivers. In Lechner, V.M., & Neal, M.B. (Eds.), Work with caring for the elderly: International perspective (pp. 177–193). Philadelphia: Brunner/Mazel.Google Scholar
Choi, B.C.K., Hanley, A.J.G., Holowaty, E.J., & Dale, D. (1993). Use of surnames to identify individuals of Chinese ancestry. American Journal of Epidemiology, 138(9), 723–734.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chow, N.W.S. (2001). The practice of filial piety among the Chinese in Hong Kong. In Chi, I., Chappell, N.L., & Lubben, J. (Eds.), Elderly Chinese in Pacific Rim countries. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University.Google Scholar
Cox, C. (1992). Culture and dementia: Effects on care-givers and implications for services. In Miesen., B.M.L., & Jones, G.M.M. (Eds.), Caregiving in dementia in research and applications: Vol. 2 (pp. 37–47). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Cox, C. (1995). Comparing the experiences of black and white caregivers of dementia patients. National Association of Social Workers, 40(3), 343–349.Google ScholarPubMed
Cranswick, K. (2002). General Social Survey Cycle 16: Caring for an aging society. Retrieved 14 July 2006 from http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=89-582-x.Google Scholar
Cullen, J.S., Grayson, D.A., & Jorm, A.F. (1997). Clinical diagnoses and disability of cognitively impaired older persons as predictors of stress in their carers. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 12(10), 1019–1028.3.0.CO;2-3>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Decima Research (2002). National profile of family caregivers in Canada – 2002. Final report. Ottawa: Health Canada Retrieved 14 July 2006 from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/pdf/care/nat_profile02.pdf.Google Scholar
Delgado, M., & Tennstedt, S. (1997). Puerto Rican sons as primary caregivers of elder parents. Social Work, 42, 125–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dilworth-Anderson, P., & Gibson, B.E. (2002). Cultural influence of values, norms, meanings, and perceptions in understanding dementia in ethnic minorities. Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, 16(Suppl. 2), S56–S63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fung, K.K. (1998). Origin and development of Chinese cultures.. Understanding Chinese Cultures: A handbook for health care and rehabilitation professionals (pp. 16–42). Toronto: Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care.Google Scholar
Gallois, C., Giles, H., Ota, H., Pierson, H.D., Ng, S.H., Lim, T.S., Maher, J., Somera, L., Ryan, E.B., & Harwood, J. (1996, August). Intergenerational communication across the Pacific Rim: The impact of filial piety. Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Montreal.Google Scholar
Gangrade, K.D. (1999). Emerging conceptions of aging in India. Eastern Anthropologist, 49(2), 151–170.Google Scholar
Gibeau, J.L., & Anastas, J.W. (1989). Breadwinners and caregivers: Interviews with working women. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 14, 19–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodman, C.C. (1990). Caregiving roles of Asian-American women. Journal of Women and Aging, 2(1), 109–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grunfeld, E. (1997). Caring for elderly people at home: The consequences to caregivers. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 157(8), 1101–1105.Google ScholarPubMed
Gupta, R., & Pillai, V.K. (2002). Elder care giving in South Asian families: Implications for social service. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 33(4), 565–576.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayman, J.A., Langa, K.M., Kabeto, M.U., Katz, S.J., DeMonner, S.M., Chernew, M.E., Slavin, M.B., & Fendrick, A.M. (2001). Estimating the cost of informal caregiving for elderly patients with cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 19(13), 3219–3225.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Himmelfarb, H.S., Loar, R.M., & Mott, S.H. (1983). Sampling by ethnic surnames: The case of American Jews. Public Opinion Quarterly, 47, 247–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hishimoto, A. (1996). The gift of generations: Japanese and American perspectives on ageing and the social contract. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holroyd, E. (2001). Hong Kong Chinese daughters' intergenerational caregiving obligations: A cultural approach. Social Science and Medicine, 53(9), 1125–1134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holroyd, E. (2002). Health-seeking behaviours and social change: The experience of the Hong Kong Chinese elderly. Qualitative Health Research, 12(6), 731–750.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones, P.S. (1995). Paying respect: Care of elderly parents by Chinese and Filipino American women. Health Care for Women International, 16(5), 385–398.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, J., & Lee, E. (2003). Cultural and noncultural predictors of health outcomes in Korean daughter and daughter-in-law caregivers. Public Health Nursing, 20(2), 111–119.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lauderdale, D.S., & Kestenbaum, B. (2000). Asian-American ethnic identification by surname. Population Research and Policy Review, 19, 283–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, E.E., & Farran, C.J. (2004). Depression among Korean, Korean-American, and Caucasian-American family caregivers. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 15(1), 18–25.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, Y. (1995). Korean and North American Caucasian caregivers of dementia patients: A cross-cultural comparison of caregiver burden. Unpublished dissertation, University of Texas, TX.Google Scholar
Levin, J., & Markides, K. (1986). Religious attendance and subjective health. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 25(1), 31–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, J.H., Ng, S.H., Weatherall, A., & Loong, C. (2000). Filial piety, acculturation, and intergeneration communication among New Zealand Chinese. Basic & Applied Social Psychology, 22(3), 213–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lockery, S.A. (1991). Family and social supports: Caregiving among racial and ethnic minority elders. Generations, 15(4), 58–62.Google Scholar
Markides, K.S., & Mindel, C.H. (1987). Aging and ethnicity. Beverly Hills: Sage.Google Scholar
Mitchell, B.A. (2003). Would I share a home with an elderly parent? Exploring ethnocultural diversity and intergenerational support relations during young adulthood. Canadian Journal on Aging, 22(1), 69–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, J., Mathews, H.F., & Yesavage, J.A. (1993). A multidimensional examination of depression among the elderly. Research on Aging, 15(2), 198–219.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neal, M.B., Chapman, N.J., & Ingersoll-Dayton, B. (1988). Elder care, employees, and the workplace: Findings from a survey of employees. Portland, OR: Regional Research Institute for Human Services and Institute on Aging, Portland State University.Google Scholar
Nishi, S.M. (1995). Chinese Americans. In Min, P.G. (Ed.), Asian Americans: Contemporary trends and issues (pp. 65–94). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Quan, H., Wang, F., Schopflocher, D., Norris, C., Galbraith, P.D., Faris, P., Graham, M.M., Knudtson, M.L., & Ghali, W.A. (2006). Development and validation of a surname list to define Chinese ethnicity. Medical Care, 44(4), 328–333.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosenwaike, I. (1994). Surname analysis as a means of estimating minority elderly: An application using Asian surnames. Research on Aging, 16(2), 212–227.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosik, C.H. (1989). The impact of religious orientation in conjugal bereavement among older adults. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 28, 251–245.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schulz, R., Mendelsohn, A.B., Haley, W.E., Mahoney, D., Allen, R.S., Zhang, S., Thompson, L., & Belle, S.H. (2003). End-of-life care and effects of bereavement on family caregivers of persons with dementia. New England Journal of Medicine, 34(20), 1936–1942.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stafford, C. (1995). The roads of Chinese childhood. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Statistics Canada. (2002). Profile of the Canadian population by age and sex: Canada ages. Ottawa: Statistics Canada Retrieved 14 July 2006 from http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Analytic/companion/age/contents.cfm.Google Scholar
Statistics Canada. (2003). Canada. Ottawa: Statistics Canada Retrieved 14 July 2006 from http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/analytic/companion/etoimm/pdf/96F0030XIE2001008.pdf.Google Scholar
Strawbridge, W.J., Shema, S.J., Cohen, R.D., Roberts, R.E., & Kaplan, G.A. (1998). Religiosity buffers effects of some stressors on depression but exacerbates others. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 53B, S118–S126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sung, K.T. (1994). South Korea. In Kosberg, J.I. (Ed.), International handbook on services for the elderly (pp. 456–372). Westport, CT: Greenwood.Google Scholar
Sung, K.T. (2002). Filial piety: The East Asian ideal of parent care in changing times. Southwest Journal on Aging, 19(1–2), 23–29.Google Scholar
Tjam, E.Y. (2001). How to find Chinese research participants: Use of a phonologically based surname search method. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 92(2), 138–142.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tsang, H.W.H., Chan, A.S.M., Chung, A.W.Y., Lam, E.C.F., & Ting, S.O.S. (2005). Reliability of the Chinese version of the perceived family burden scale. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 28(3), 289–291.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Walker, A.J., Pratt, C.C., Shin, H.Y., & Jones, L.L. (1990). Motives for parental caregiving and relationship quality. Family Relations, 39, 51–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wong, R.Y.L., & Tsang, A.K.T. (2004). When Asian immigrant women speak: From mental health to strategies of being. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 74(4), 456–466.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zarit, S.H., Reever, K.E., & Bach-Peterson, J. (1980). Relatives of the impaired elderly: Correlates of feelings of burden. Gerontologist, 20(6), 649–655.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhan, H.J., & Montgomery, R.J.V. (2003). Gender and elder care in China: The influence of filial piety and structural constraints. Gender and Society, 17(2), 209–229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar