Factors Affecting Burden of South Koreans Providing Care to Disabled Older Family Members

• Published in: International journal of aging & human development Vol. 64; no. 3; pp. 245 - 262
• Main Authors: Lee, Minhong, Yoon, Eunkyung, Kropf, Nancy P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2007; Baywood Publishing Company, Inc; Baywood; Baywood Publishing Co., Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Adult. Elderly; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Caregiver Burden; Caregivers; Caregiving; Carers; Caretaker syndrome; Cognition; Cognitive Ability; Cost of Illness; Cultural aspects; Cultural Influences; Daily Living Skills; Developmental psychology; Disabilities; Disabled elderly people; Disabled Persons; Elderly; Elderly relatives; Family Environment; Family Health; Female; Financial Problems; Foreign Countries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender Differences; Handicapped; Health care policy; Health services; Health Services for the Aged; Hierarchies; Humans; Inlaws; Korea; Law; Male; Middle Aged; Older Adults; Older people; People with disabilities; Predictor Variables; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Seoul, South Korea; Social Support; Social Support Groups; Sociodemographic Factors; Sociodemographics; South Korea; South Korea (Seoul); Stress Variables; Welfare policy; South Korea; South Korea (Seoul); Asia; Korea; Social environment; Human; Cognitive disorder; Social interaction; Sociodemographic factor; Caregiver; Family environment; Familial relation; Elderly; Stress; Functional capacity; Social support
• ISSN: 0091-4150; 1541-3535
• DOI: 10.2190/C4U5-078N-R83L-P1MN

This study examined the determinants of caregiving burden among South Koreans who care for their disabled older family members. A sample of 1,000 primary caregivers taken from the Comprehensive Study for Elderly Welfare Policy in Seoul, South Korea was analyzed. Independent variables included the demographic characteristics of caregivers and care recipients, the severity of cognitive impairment among care recipients, care recipients' functional abilities, financial adequacy and caregivers' degree of social support. Hierarchical regression was used to predict the levels of caregivers' burden. Similar to western care providers, South Korean caregivers who were in poor health and who had little informal social support, inadequate financial resources and more weekly caregiving hours were more likely to experience intense caregiving burden. Burden was also positively related to the functional and cognitive disabilities of care recipients. The results of this study indicate that certain aspects of caregiving are unique to South Koreans. Daughters-in-law were the most common caregiver within the sample which indicates that South Korean eldercare is non-consanguineous. Identifying predictors of South Korean caregivers' burden promotes a more comprehensive understanding of cultural experiences in caring for older adults.