Intersectionality in informal care research: a scoping review

Abstract

Aim: Informal caregivers share common experiences in providing care to someone with health and/or social needs, but at the same time their experiences differ across diverse backgrounds such as gender, age, culture, as these aspects of diversity co-shape these experiences. This scoping review aims to explore how aspects of diversity, across their intersections, are currently incorporated in informal care research and discusses how an intersectional perspective can further develop our understanding of informal care. Methods: A scoping review was performed to map relevant caregiving literature from an intersectionality perspective. Key terms ‘informal care’ and ‘intersectionality’ were used for a search in four databases resulting in the inclusion of 28 articles. All 28 studies were analysed based on a scoping review created intersectionality informed coding scheme. Results: Aspects of diversity are largely understudied in informal care research, in particular across their intersections and from a critical perspective. This intersectional informed analysis revealed that when studying diverse caregiving experiences the use of intersections of dimensions of diversity provides a nuanced understanding of these experiences. Conclusions: Adopting an intersectional perspective ensures that not only different categories or social identities of caregivers are included in future studies, but the mutual relationships between these categories embedded in their specific context are actually studied.

mHealth Interventions to Support Caregivers of Older Adults: Equity-Focused Systematic Review

“…Education, although frequently reported in demographics, was also rarely considered as an important factor in informing intervention design and recruitment. Women with lower education are more likely to assume caregiving roles than those who have had additional educational opportunities [ 11 ]. Lower literacy levels among caregivers can affect their ability to navigate the health system and locate appropriate support for themselves and their care recipient [ 70 ], factors that can directly influence the design and usability of mHealth interventions.…”

“…The included studies had samples primarily made up of women, validating the literature that suggests women are most likely to provide caregiving support, corroborating cultural norms across a range of identities [ 76 ]. However, these studies did not address how intersecting identities (eg, culture, gender, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic status) might shape expectations and responsibilities within a caregiving role [ 11 , 12 , 68 ]. Research suggests that culture strongly affects caregiving but that cultural influences on the caregiver role must be understood within the context of race and gender socialization [ 77 ].…”

“…The social determinants of health can influence entry into the caregiving role and the subsequent experience of being a caregiver. For example, factors such as being a woman, lower educational attainment, and living in a rural setting can bias caregiving toward individuals who may perceive that they have little agency in their choice to become a caregiver [ 11 ]. Furthermore, a greater intensity of caregiving has been identified among caregivers who are female, people of color, and of lower socioeconomic status [ 12 ].…”

Care for the Caregiver : Internet intervention for informal caregivers in Lithuania

“…Firstly, further research efforts should be placed on investigating the diversity among informal caregivers. In a recent scoping review, Hengelaar et al (2021) suggested employing an intersectional perspective in caregiver research that would account for various caregiver and care-receiver characteristics. That is, accounting for the diversity in the caregiver and care-receiver as well as the various contextual factors such as historical, cultural, and societal influences.…”

An intersectional analysis of diverse professional perspectives on collaborating with caregivers: Empirical Research - Qualitative

“…This study uses an innovative approach by not solely focusing on cultural aspects or differences but by going a step further and explore the in uence of intersecting aspects of diversity in the context of care networks (Bowleg, 2021). By doing so, diversity is understood as challenging inequalities and structural disadvantages within care networks (Hengelaar et al 2021).…”