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Stress among Family Caregivers of Older Persons in Singapore

Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology volume 20, pages 319–334 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

It is projected that, in the 21st century, the majority of the world’s older people will be living in Asia. After Japan, Singapore is the most rapidly aging country in Asia. With an increasing life expectancy, many older persons will require health and instrumental care during later life stages. In Singapore, close to 95% of older people co-reside with family members, highlighting the importance of community support for family caregivers. Using a study of 61 principal family caregivers in Singapore, this article highlights the nature of and relationship between caregivers’ stress and gender, patients’ activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL dependency, and caregivers’ attitudes. Findings from the study suggest that female caregivers tended to be more stressed than male caregivers. Results also showed a significant inverse relationship between the level of stress experienced by caregivers and the ADL and instrumental ADL dependency of patients. Caregivers looking after patients suffering from dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and hypertension were more likely to be stressed than those caring for persons with stroke, depression, and other illnesses. This article concludes by describing some implications of this research for social worker practice and for informal as well as formal support programs for family caregivers.

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Acknowledgments

An earlier version of this article was presented at the Conference on Families in the Global Age: New Challenges Facing Japan and Southeast Asia held October 4–6, 2000, at the Allson Hotel in Singapore. The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Dr. Veena Joshi in the analysis of the data. Gratitude is also extended to the international Rapid Demographic Change and the Welfare of the Elderly project based at Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, for funding this research. The project is funded by Grant AG07637 from the National Institute on Aging.

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  1. Department of Social Work, National University of Singapore, Blk AS6 4th Floor, 11, Law Link, Singapore, 117570, Singapore

    Kalyani K. Mehta

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  1. Kalyani K. Mehta
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Correspondence to Kalyani K. Mehta.

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Mehta, K.K. Stress among Family Caregivers of Older Persons in Singapore. J Cross Cult Gerontol 20, 319–334 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-006-9009-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-006-9009-z

Keywords

  • Caregiving
  • Singapore
  • Stress