Factors Affecting Burden of South Koreans Providing Care to Disabled Older Family Members

Abstract

This study examined the determinants of caregiving burden among South Koreans who care for their disabled older family members. A sample of 1,000 primary caregivers taken from the Comprehensive Study for Elderly Welfare Policy in Seoul, South Korea was analyzed. Independent variables included the demographic characteristics of caregivers and care recipients, the severity of cognitive impairment among care recipients, care recipients' functional abilities, financial adequacy and caregivers' degree of social support. Hierarchical regression was used to predict the levels of caregivers' burden. Similar to western care providers, South Korean caregivers who were in poor health and who had little informal social support, inadequate financial resources and more weekly caregiving hours were more likely to experience intense caregiving burden. Burden was also positively related to the functional and cognitive disabilities of care recipients. The results of this study indicate that certain aspects of caregiving are unique to South Koreans. Daughters-in-law were the most common caregiver within the sample which indicates that South Korean eldercare is non-consanguineous. Identifying predictors of South Korean caregivers' burden promotes a more comprehensive understanding of cultural experiences in caring for older adults.

Burden and associated factors for caregivers of the elderly in a developing country

“…Daughters-in-law were the caregivers in a significant number of households in our study, as found in studies in India and the Republic of Korea (21)(22)(23). Even among immigrants of Indian and Pakistani descent in the USA, daughters-in-law were the primary care givers, adhering to the cultural norms of their country of origin (24).…”

“…In studies that indicated a higher caregiver burden, the care receivers were more dependent or had more debilitating illnesses. As in previous studies, (18,21,26,28), caregivers for elderly people who were dependent for ADLs perceived a greater burden. In contrast, another study reported that caregiver burden correlated more closely with the needs of the caregiver rather than the functional impairment of the care recipient (27).…”

Remembering Sacrifices: Attitude and Beliefs Among Second-generation Korean Americans Regarding Family Support

“…Research has shown that the generation born in the 1950s and 1960s has had stronger filial norms in midlife than the prior generation (Gans and Silverstein 2006). There is also a trend for daughters in the U.S. to be more likely than sons to plan on caring for parents (Lee et al 2007;Schulz and Binstock 2006). Research has found that women express stronger filial norms than men throughout the life course, although this does weaken earlier in life for women than for men.…”

“…Peter and Nina's discussion also highlighted the changing roles and influence of daughters-in-law in Korean immigrant families. In South Korea, one study found that daughters-in-law are the most common caregivers of older disabled family members (Lee et al 2007) even as rapid industrialization has changed cohabitation patterns and relationship dynamics between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law (Kim 1996). Meanwhile, in American families, wives and daughters tend to be most common care providers for disabled older persons.…”

Intergenerational financial exchange and the psychological well-being of older adults in the Republic of Korea

“…Among these are changes in patterns of giving and receiving social support, including the exchange of material aid among older and younger adult family members (Jang et al, 2009a(Jang et al, , 2009b. Research on the relationship between social support and well-being in Korea is limited (however, see Kim & Kim, 2003;Lee & Dunkle, 2010;Lee, Yoon, & Kropf, 2007;Moon, Park, & Cho, 2010). Even less common is research demonstrating a relationship between the direction of intergenerational exchanges and well-being among older Koreans.…”