Date Presented 03/23/24
An exploratory study highlights differences in perception of social support use among caregivers from collectivist and individualistic cultures pertaining to caregiver burden. Findings support the importance of culturally sensitive care.
Primary Author and Speaker: Sonia Lawson
Additional Authors and Speakers: Cindy You, Joseph Amos, Mackenzie Short
PURPOSE: Social support eases caregiver stress and burden (Zheng et al., 2021). Collectivist cultures, those that value the inter-relatedness, respond differently to caregiving roles from individualistic cultures, those that value independence relying less on group identity (Kim et al., 2006; Qui et al., 2017). The exploratory study aimed to uncover similarities and differences in use of social support among stroke caregivers from a variety of cultural groups. Understanding cultural influences in managing caregiver roles can aid practitioners to more effectively provide training and resources.
DESIGN: A narrative design was used to collect qualitative data from semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling ensured representation from a range of cultural groups. Inclusion criteria: participants identify with an ethnic group, be over 18 years of age, and provide informal care to a stroke survivor.
METHOD: Interviews were conducted for approximately 45 minutes, in-person, via Zoom, or phone based on participant preference. Thematic analysis was conducted.
RESULTS: Three interviews were obtained from three cultural groups (i.e., Chinese, Pacific Islander, Caucasian with strong religous beliefs). Four themes specific to use of social support were revealed: 1) perceptions of caregiver role, 2) informal social support use, 3) perceptions of formal services, 4) emotional appraisal of social support. There was a greater acceptance of the caregiver role as an obligation or duty in the collectivist participants but use of social support was not very well accepted.
CONCLUSION: The caregiver role is highly influenced by cultural values and beliefs. Practitioners should take the time to more fully understand these perspectives in order to provide effective training and resources.
IMPACT STATEMENT: Culturally sensitive caregiver training can be more effective and support health and wellness of stroke caregivers and stroke survivors leading to reduced overall.
References
Kim, H. S., Ko, D., Sherman, D. K., & Taylor, S. E. (2006). Pursuit of comfort and pursuit of harmony: Culture, relationships, and social support seeking. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32(12), 1595-1607–1607. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167206291991
Qui, X., Sit, J. W. H., & Koo, F. K. (2018). The influence of chinese culture on family caregivers of stroke survivors: A qualitative study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(2), 309–319. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.13947
Zheng, S., Masuda, T., Matsunaga, M., Noguchi, Y., Ohtsubo, Y., Yamasue, H., & Ishii, K. (2021). Cultural differences in social support seeking: The mediating role of empathic concern. PLoS ONE, 16(12), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0262001
