Latina/o Family Caregivers’ Reactions to Limited Help From Relatives: From Frustration to Resilience

Abstract

Using a qualitative approach, the current study aimed to understand how Latina/o primary caregivers react to and cope with a lack of (or limited) help from their relatives when an elder is in need of care. In-person semistructured interviews were conducted with 32 caregivers of Mexican descent; most were female and 84% cared for an older parent or parent-in-law. Inductive thematic analyses resulted in a multifaceted process model that reveals (a) reactions to a lack of help often include anger, frustration, hurt, or resentment; (b) negative reactions can be exacerbated or mitigated by caregivers’ explanations for the lack of help and by the quality of caregiver–relative interactions; and (c) coping with and acceptance of the lack of help can evolve over time, aided by caregiver cognitive reframing, realization that negative feelings are ineffectual and/or lead to conflict, and/or other self-protective strategies. Implications for research and practice are discussed.