Date Presented 04/05/2025
The population of Asian-American (AA) caregivers is increasing, and they experience high levels of stress. OTPs can serve AA caregivers with a holistic lens. This study highlights barriers, facilitators, and interventions to support this population.
Primary Author and Speaker: Arianna Bayangos
Contributing Authors: Rawan Alheresh, Diane L. Smith
PURPOSE: Over 40 million Americans are caregivers for their elderly family members (AARP & Caregiving, 2020). AA caregivers have unique cultural values and often experience high stress levels that impact caregiving (Whitney et al., 2023). This study explores AA occupational therapy practitioners’ (OTP) perspectives on barriers, facilitators, and interventions to support the mental health of AA caregivers for older adults.
DESIGN: This study utilized a phenomenological qualitative design. Participants needed to identify as Asian American, be a licensed OTP, have experience working with AA families, and have at least one year of working in adult physical dysfunction.
METHOD: Data were collected through virtual interviews and a focus group and were analyzed through thematic analysis.
RESULTS: Twelve AA OTPs (n=12) participated in this study. Two domains were identified: (1) Barriers and facilitators to support the mental health of AA caregivers and (2) OTP strategies to support the mental health of AA caregivers. Factors that are both barriers and facilitators include AA cultural beliefs, provider identity, and access. OTP strategies include use of soft skills, assessment skills, and interventions, including education and social support.
CONCLUSION: To support AA caregivers’ mental health, OTPs can learn about AA culture, reflect on their biases related to this population, and bolster their strategies, including team collaboration and interventions. OTPs can encourage the representation of AA in OT, advocate for increased accessibility of caregiver services, and advocate for their role in caregiver mental health.
IMPACT STATEMENT: It is essential to support Asian American caregivers as the role of a caregiver is becoming more prevalent due to the growing elderly population and their complex health needs (AARP & Caregiving, 2020). In addition, AA caregivers are an underserved and growing group with unique cultural values that impact caregiving.
References
Broxson, J., & Feliciano, L. (2020). Understanding the Impacts of Caregiver Stress. Professional Case Management, 25(4), 213–219. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCM.0000000000000414
Hinton, L., Tran, D., Nguyen, T.-N., Ho, J., & Gitlin, L. (2019). Interventions to support family caregivers of people living with dementia in high, middle and low-income countries in Asia: A scoping review. BMJ Global Health, 4(6), e001830. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001830
Rouch, S. A., Fields, B. E., Alibrahim, H. A., Rodakowski, J., & Leland, N. E. (2021). Evidence for the Effectiveness of Interventions for Caregivers of People With Chronic Conditions: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75(4), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2021.042838
