What is the meaning of filial piety for people with dementia and their family caregivers in China under the current social transitions? An interpretative phenomenological analysis
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online November, 2019
What is the meaning of filial piety for people with dementia and their family caregivers in China under the current social transitions? An interpretative phenomenological analysis
The filial piety model of family centred care has dominated Chinese society for thousands of years. The ways in which filial piety is presented are being modified and modernised as China undergoes social transitions. The study aims to understand the meaning of filial piety for people with dementia and family caregivers. Semi-structured interviews with people with dementia (n = 10) and family caregivers (n = 14) were conducted. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three themes emerged: (a) ‘Being filial is a cultural continuity and my future investment’. (b) ‘The changed perception and ways of being filial’. (c) ‘Filial responsibility is a social and cultural convention, but not my personal choice’. This study highlights the importance of cultural values in family care decision making and in shaping filial responsibilities. It indicates that filial obligation can be maintained through social support, even though the nature of filial piety has been changed by social transitions.
ArandaM. P.KnightB. G. (1997).
The influence of ethnicity and culture on the caregiver stress and coping process: A sociocultural review and analysis. The Gerontologist,
37(3), 342–354.
2.
ChanK. Y.WangW.WuJ. J.LiuL.TheodoratouE.CarJ.CampbellH. (2013).
Epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in China, 1990–2010: A systematic review and analysis. TheLancet,
381(9882), 2016–2023.
3.
ChenR.HuZ.ChenR.-L.MaY.ZhangD.WilsonK. (2013).
Determinants for undetected dementia and late-life depression. The British Journal of Psychiatry,
203(3), 203–208.
4.
ChouR. J. A. (2011).
Filial piety by contract? The emergence, implementation, and implications of the “family support agreement” in China. The Gerontologist,
51(1), 3–16.
5.
ClareL. (2002).
Developing awareness about awareness in early-stage dementia The role of psychosocial factors. Dementia,
1(3), 295–312.
6.
ClareL.WoodsR.Moniz CookE.OrrellM.SpectorA. (2003).
Cognitive rehabilitation and cognitive training for early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews, 13(1), 75–83.
7.
HsuJ.TsengW. (1985).
The Chinese family: Relations, problems, and therapy.Chinese Culture and Mental Health, London, U.K.: ACADEMIC PRESS INC. (London) Ltd.
8.
KimJ. S.LeeE. H. (2003).
Cultural and noncultural predictors of health outcomes in Korean daughter and daughter‐in‐law caregivers. Public Health Nursing,
20(2), 111–119.
9.
KnightB. G.SayeghP. (2010).
Cultural values and caregiving: The updated sociocultural stress and coping model. TheJournals of Gerontology: Series B,
65(1), 5–13.
10.
LaiD. W. (2010).
Filial piety, caregiving appraisal, and caregiving burden. Research on Aging,
32(2), 200–223.
11.
LeungA. N.-M.WongS. S.-F.WongI. W-y.McBride-ChangC. (2010).
Filial piety and psychosocial adjustment in Hong Kong Chinese early adolescents. The Journal of Early Adolescence,
30(5), 651–667.
12.
LloydV.GathererA.KalsyS. (2006).
Conducting qualitative interview research with people with expressive language difficulties. Qualitative Health Research,
16(10), 1386–1404.
NavabE.NegarandehR.PeyroviH. (2012).
Lived experiences of Iranian family member caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease: Caring as ‘captured in the whirlpool of time. Journal of Clinical Nursing,
21(7), 1078–1086.
15.
PeacockS.ForbesD.Markle-ReidM.HawranikP.MorganD.JansenL.HendersonS. R. (2010).
The positive aspects of the caregiving journey with dementia: Using a strengths-based perspective to reveal opportunities. Journal of Applied Gerontology,
29(5), 640–659.
16.
PearceA.ClareL.PistrangN. (2002).
Managing sense of self: Coping in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia,
1(2), 173–192.
17.
QuinnC.ClareL.WoodsR. T. (2010).
The impact of motivations and meanings on the wellbeing of caregivers of people with dementia: A systematic review. International Psychogeriatrics,
22(01), 43–55.
18.
SayeghP.KnightB. G. (2011).
The effects of familism and cultural justification on the mental and physical health of family caregivers. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences,
66(1), 3–14.
19.
SimpsonC. (2010).
Case studies of Hispanic caregivers of persons with dementia: Reconciliation of self. Journal of Transcultural Nursing,
21(2), 167–174.
20.
SiuO.-L.SpectorP. E.CooperC. L.DonaldI. (2001).
Age differences in coping and locus of control: A study of managerial stress in Hong Kong. Psychology and Aging,
16(4), 707.
21.
SmithJ. A. (2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. London, U.K:
SAGE Publications Ltd.
22.
SmithJ. A. (2015). Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. London, U.K:
SAGE Publications Ltd.
23.
SungK.-T. (1995).
Measures and dimensions of filial piety in Korea. The Gerontologist,
35(2), 240–247.
24.
SungK.-T. (1999).
An exploration of actions of filial piety. Journal of Aging Studies,
12(4), 369–386.
25.
TangM. (2011).
Can cultural values help explain the positive aspects of caregiving among Chinese American caregivers?Journal of Gerontological Social Work,
54(6), 551–569.
26.
TurnerD. W.III. (2010).
Qualitative interview design: A practical guide for novice investigators. The Qualitative Report,
15(3), 754.
27.
van ZadelhoffE.VerbeekH.WiddershovenG.van RossumE.AbmaT. (2011).
Good care in group home living for people with dementia. Experiences of residents, family and nursing staff. Journal of Clinical Nursing,
20(17–18), 2490–2500. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03759.x.
28.
WuB.CarterM. W.GoinsR. T.ChengC. (2005).
Emerging services for community-based long-term care in urban China: A systematic analysis of Shanghai’s community-based agencies. Journal of Aging & Social Policy,
17(4), 37–60.
29.
YehK.-H. (2003).
The beneficial and harmful effects of filial piety: An integrative analysis. Progress in Asian Social Psychology: Conceptual and Empirical Contributions: Conceptual and Empirical Contributions, 42, 67–82. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
30.
YuH.WuL.ChenS.WuQ.YangY.EdwardsH. (2016).
Caregiving burden and gain among adult-child caregivers caring for parents with dementia in China: The partial mediating role of reciprocal filial piety. International Psychogeriatrics, 28(11), 1845–1855.
31.
ZhanH. J. (2004).
Willingness and expectations: Intergenerational differences in attitudes toward filial responsibility in China. Marriage & Family Review,
36(1–2), 175–200.
32.
ZhanH. J. (2005).
Social-economic context of parent care: Explaining Chinese caregivers’ psychological and emotional well-being. Journal of Gerontological Social Work,
45(4), 83–100.
