Motivation & family caregivers of elderly individuals : exploring the relevance of filial piety & autonomy

Abstract

Individuals who provide care for their sick or frail family members are reported to be at risk of developing depression and other psychosomatic symptoms due to the burden of caregiving. As past research has found that health is an outcome linked to motivation, the current study explores the underlying motivations of these family caregivers, specifically focusing on the concepts of filial piety and autonomy. Interview data from seven Singaporean family caregivers were qualitatively analyzed for emerging themes relevant to their caregiving experience. Four main themes were uncovered with respect to filial piety; filial beliefs, traits of a filial individual and the caregiving experience in terms of tasks and emotions. Also, two autonomy-reinforcing factors were discovered: support (external factor) and positive attitude towards care (internal factor). In the discussion, themes relating to filial piety are critically contrasted against the ‘evolving model of filial piety’ proposed by Chan et al. (2012). Analysis has shown some similarities and differences in the concept of filial piety between samples of family caregivers from Singapore and other Asian Chinese communities. In addition, present results suggest that sources of autonomy provide boosts to motivation, and support family caregivers who provide care for the reasons of filial piety.