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Purpose: Caregivers are at risk of increased burden, and caregivers who provide care for a long duration may be at higher risk than short-term caregivers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between caregiving duration and caregiver burden, as well as whether the relationship was moderated by paid leave.

Design/methodology/approach: We utilized a sample of employed caregivers from the Caregiving in the US 2015 dataset (n = 585) collected by the American Association of Retired Persons. Using a structural equation modeling approach, we examined the study relationships.

Findings: The authors found that caregiving duration was associated with increased burden. Although there was no direct relationship between paid leave and caregiver burden, paid leave buffered the association between caregiving duration and caregiver burden.

Research limitations/implications: This study is limited by a cross-sectional design. Longitudinal data collection efforts are needed to further examine the possible effects of paid leave on well-being and health outcomes.

Practical implications: Findings indicate a potential need to consider developing support programs for caregivers based on how long they need to provide care.

Societal implications: Policies are needed to decrease the burden felt by caregivers, especially those who provide care for a long period of time.

Originality/value: The current study is the first to explore the interrelationships among caregiving duration, paid leave, and caregiver burden.

Schizophrenia, a chronic mental disorder, poses enormous threat to the individual, family and society. The advent of deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill transferred the burden of care to families especially close relatives. Few studies have described the families' subjective views in this context. Hence, this study aimed to explore impacts of caregiving and coping strategies for family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia in Enugu, South East Nigeria.

A descriptive qualitative design was employed, and 14 family caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia attending federal neuropsychiatric hospital Enugu were purposively selected. A semi-structured interview guide was used to generate information, and the transcribed data were content analyzed using a thematic approach.

Three major themes and 16 subthemes were derived to reflect the perceived impact of caregiving and coping strategies of family caregivers, which include burden of care (physical-self neglect, ill health, sleep deprivation; psychological-gross irritability, ruminations; social-stigmatization, social restrictions, diminished connections, reduced productivity); positive aspects (heightened understanding; empathetic attitude, strengthened ties) and adaptive resources (acceptance, optimism, social support, spiritual devotion).

Family caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia experience bio-psychosocial burden as a result of caregiving. Coping with challenges of caregiving can prevent distress and burnout. Hence, there is need for mental health professionals to recognize caregivers as person in need of emotional and practical support and care for the mentally ill in the context of a family-centered approach.

This study aims to examine the factors predicting burden among the male caregivers of older adults with stroke.

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. A simple random sampling technique was used to recruit 98 male caregivers in the outpatient department’s neurological clinic, at Banphaeo General Hospital. Data was collected using six questionnaires: the demographic questionnaire, the center for epidemiologic studies depression scale, the perceived health status interview form, the caregiver and patient relationship interview form, the Barthel ADL index and the Zarit burden interview. Descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple regression analysis were used for data analysis.

The male caregivers of older adults with stroke had a mild to moderate level of burden. Factors such as depression of caregivers and activities of daily living of older adults predicted the burden among male caregivers, explaining 53.6% of the variance. The findings imply that nurses can plan new approaches and interventions to alleviate the burden of male caregivers by reducing their depression levels and encouraging activities of daily living in the older adults. In addition, effective programs can be developed to provide informational support to caregivers for reducing their burden level.

Male caregivers with depressive symptoms had an increased caregiving burden. Therefore, health-care professionals should support and formulate guidelines to reduce the burden of caregiving among the male caregivers by considering predictive factors.

The family caregivers play an important role in the good quality of life for the elderly, but most of them can easily have an emotional and psychological effect on caregiving. The purpose of this paper is to explore the correlation between conditions of caring for the elderly in the family and caregiver stress in a community setting, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand.

A cross-sectional exploratory descriptive research was conducted in Ban Klang Subdistrict, San Pa Tong District, Chiang Mai Province. Simple random sampling was used to collect data by using a structured interview via a questionnaire with 103 elderly caregivers. The χ² test was used to explain the conditions related to stress as being a caregiver.

Most of the caregivers were female and still in good health, but at the same time, underwent little stress. However, they did not receive any training beforehand for taking care of the elderly but mainly done by experience, relationship and gratitude. The conditions correlated with stress as being a caregiver were health status of caregivers, confidence of care, the relationship between caregiver and elderly person, and economic burden of care.

A necessary resource such as body of knowledge in elderly caregiving, long-term care system at the community level and social support from family and intimate persons will encourage confidence in taking care of the elderly in the family and also relieve caregivers’ stress.

This study compared different types of full-time caregiver (e.g., children, older adults, COVID-19 patients) and subgroups (e.g., disability, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation) in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic for potentially meaningful distinctions.

Data from the 9,854 full-time caregivers identified in Phase 3.2 (July 21–October 11, 2021) of the US Census Household Pulse Survey (HPS) were analyzed in this study using multinomial logistic regression to examine relationships between caregiver types, marginalized subgroups, generation, and vaccination status.

The prevalence of caregiving was low, but the type of full-time caregiving performed varied by demographic group (i.e., disability, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, generation, and vaccination status). The relative risk of being a COVID-19 caregiver remained significant for being a member of each of the marginalized groups examined after all adjustments.

To date, the HPS has not been analyzed to predict the type of full-time informal caregiving performed during the COVID-19 pandemic or their characteristics. Research limitations of this analysis include the cross-sectional, experimental dataset employed, as well as some variable measurement issues.

Prior informal caregiver research has often focused on the experiences of those caring for older adults or children with special healthcare needs. It may be instructive to learn whether and how informal caregivers excluded from paid employment during infectious disease outbreaks vary in meaningful ways from those engaged in other full-time caregiving. Because COVID-19 magnified equity concerns, examining demographic differences may also facilitate customization of pathways to post-caregiving workforce integration.

Purpose: Grandparents are common providers of childcare within the Caribbean region. Yet research on the implications of grandparent caregiving for older adults’ well-being is limited. This study examined gender differences in the relationship between grandparent caregiving and the life satisfaction of older adults in Jamaica.

Methodology: Using a sample of 1,622 grandparents 60 years and older drawn from the 2012 study “The Health and Social Status of Older Jamaicans,” we estimated binary logistic regression models to examine the association between the frequency of grandparent caregiving and the life satisfaction of grandparents.

Findings: Grandmothers were more likely than grandfathers to provide care. We did not find a statistically significant gender difference in the life satisfaction of caregiving grandparents. Yet, gender differences in the patterns of association between grandparent caregiving and life satisfaction were evident. Among grandmothers, both occasional and regular caregiving was associated with higher life satisfaction relative to non-caregivers. Among grandfathers, however, only regular caregiving was positively associated with life satisfaction.

Originality: This is the first population-based study within the Caribbean to examine gendered patterns of grandparent caregiving and the association with grandparents’ well-being. The findings of this study suggest that grandparent caregiving is beneficial to the well-being of older Jamaican men and women. This study challenges assumptions of gender norms that typically do not position men to be involved in caregiving roles, and to derive satisfaction from such roles, within Caribbean households. The authors suggest more attention should be given to interventions to encourage men to be actively involved in family caregiving.

France, once a pioneer in psychiatry, is now sinking as its population faces major mental health challenges. This includes the 12 Million French individuals with psychiatric conditions, the lack of appropriate structures and the shortage of skilled mental health professionals, but it also leaves families in critical situations. The purpose of this study is to explore the carers’ caregiving experiences and to suggest ways to organise educational programmes to support mental health carers in France.

The research was conducted from January 2018 to November 2019. It included French carers of patients with mental conditions. Recorded semi-structured interviews were used and findings were analysed through an inductive thematic analysis and regrouped into key themes.

Participants had overwhelming negative representations of “mental illness”. The fact that they were excluded from participating in the patient’s health management further added to their misconceptions around mental disability, it limited their communication with their family and amplified their burdens.

There is an urgent need for carer empowerment; carers should be included in educational programmes, they should benefit from French Government subsidies and social-network assistance and receive quality assistance by trained mental health professionals. The critical situation of carers can only be addressed by combining these three steps and through the action of appropriate actors in the field of mental health, thus alleviating the current paradigm of psychiatric care in France.

Thousands of research papers regarding carers have been published in other countries. In addition yet, to the knowledge, only a few investigations on French mental health carers have been conducted to this day. The singularity of this research lies in the rare individual interviews, which provided us with first-hand testimonies of mental health carers in France. This data could be of vital aid for professionals and for policymakers when advocating for better support of carers in mental health.

This research documents the responsibilities and stresses of people with homeless relatives. Health and housing problems create a variety of challenges and sometimes burdens within families which are particularly stressful for family caregivers who are actively involved with helping homeless adults.

Our study and data examine stress proliferation and stress buffering among people with homeless relatives using quantitative data from 118 interviews, mostly with parents and siblings of homeless adults.

Quantitative data from 118 interviews, largely from parents and siblings of homeless adults, show that people who spend more time or money helping homeless relatives experience higher levels of stress. Stress levels are also higher among those who help a homeless relative with activities of daily living and those who work to prevent harm that involves a homeless relative. Stress derived from efforts to prevent harm is associated with stronger social support to people with homeless relatives.

Social and health service providers can provide helpful social support for both homeless people and for people with homeless relatives, particularly in circumstances where harm reduction is required.

The purpose of this paper is to describe family caregivers’ experiences of providing care for older people with a tracheostomy during hospitalization.

A descriptive phenomenological approach was used in this study. A total of 40 family caregivers were interviewed face-to-face in medical-surgical wards. Data was analyzed using Giorgi’s phenomenological method.

Family caregivers described meanings of providing care, learning how to provide care, caring activities, impacts of caregiving, support needs and qualities of being a caregiver. Meanings included filial responsibility, spousal attachment and end of life care. Caring activities were varied. Impacts experienced were reported as physical, psychological, social and financial. Caregivers expressed the need for information from the nursing team and assistance from their relatives. Positive caregiver qualities that were described included loving to provide care for older people and confidence and sincerity in caregiving.

Although caring for older people with a tracheostomy was difficult and came with challenging impacts, family caregivers were willing to support their loved ones due to feelings of family responsibility.

The paper addresses family participation in providing care for people with a tracheostomy. They experience physical, psychological, social and financial consequences of caregiving. Therefore, health-care professionals should support family caregivers with education, training and awareness of supports and resources for dealing with problematic impacts and other expressed needs.

Residential academic campuses generally support a skewed population profile that favours a younger population, mainly the student community, and thereby marginalize the needs of the older people staying within the campus. Health delivery systems are often not in accordance with the needs of staff members co-habiting with their aged parents and relatives as well as older staff members themselves. This poses a serious problem, especially in India, where filial piety is a norm and many employees cohabit with their parents. Moreover, the Government of India has reformulated its retirement policy under which the age for superannuation of teaching staff has been enhanced. This in turn, has raised the older-younger ratio in campuses in recent years. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

To address these issues, a household survey was carried out on older people staying in a residential academic campus of India followed by a focus group discussion with family caregivers of the older people.

It was found that older people were a marginalized group in campus, as health delivery system and allied facilities were not consistent with their needs. As a result, they and their family caregivers faced various challenges.

This is the first study exploring the possibility of academic campuses in India to emerge as alternate sites for supporting older care.