Latina Daughters and Their Caregiving Roles

Responsibilities and cultural expectations can be somewhat different for Latino males and females. In general, males are expected to be more independent and dominant while females are expected to be more nurturing [1, 2]. Similar to other populations, caregiving for elderly relatives has traditionally been a role adopted by women in Latino cultures [3]. Furthermore, first-born or oldest Latinas are sometimes expected to take on the role of caregiver with younger siblings and/or aging parents [4]. McDermott and Mendez-Luck [5] found that this caregiving role was often cultivated at an early age through a continuous, formal and informal socialization process that was gendered through modeling behaviors and care expectations primarily directed at women in the family rather than men. Practitioners interviewed in this qualitative study reported that daughters were frequently involved in the overall treatment and care of Mexican-American older adults. Some of the expectations included accompanying the parent to doctor visits or treatment; ensuring treatment or medication regimens were followed; serving as primary caregiver; providing information to providers in order to ensure more accuracy; and providing emotional and social support. For purposes of this article, the terms Mexican-American, Hispanic and Latino/a were used interchangeably

Ageism: Does it Exist Among Children?

Ageism is stereotyping and prejudice against individuals or groups because of their age. Robert Butler first used it in 1969, to express a systematic stereotyping and discrimination against elderly people. Available data appears to confirm that attitudes of children to the old age differ from that of adults. The study population consisted of 162 subjects (56 school children, 48 nurses and 58 elderly patients). Each subject in the survey was asked to respond to the following three questions: Question #1: “Is the old age unattractive ?”; Question #2: “How old is an old man? Question #3: “What should you do to have a long life (what is good for longevity)? The majority of polled children (33) gave positive statements about ageing in their responses to the first item, while most of the nurses gave condition answers, like: “It is not unattractive if you are healthy”. Elderly subjects made up a group with the majority of negative responses (in percentage), as only 33% of them answered that old age is not unattractive. All three groups of subjects demonstrated a good knowledge of what is considered good for longevity, and had a generally positive health attitude. Our results indicate that majority of children have positive perception and attitude about old age, which leads us to conclusion that ageism is adopted later in life

Older Mexican Americans: Role of the Family and Mental Health Service Utilization

This study explored role of the family and mental health service utilization by older Mexican-Americans. Using qualitative exploration, the study investigated family factors influencing their mental health service utilization. The researcher used a purposive sample and interviewed 20 older Mexican Americans, who completed outpatient mental health services located in Texas. Kleinman’s explanatory model (1980) guided the ethnographic content analysis. Findings show the family took several roles to facilitate use of mental health services. The family was involved with respondents throughout the process of help-seeking and accessing mental health services. Family members helped respondents recognize their mental distress by noticing behavior signs and working with their physician. The family shared feedback with the doctor to help facilitate the respondent making the decision to go to treatment. The family motivated respondents by recognizing and acknowledging changes and progress in the treatment program

Older Mexican Americans: Role of the Family and Mental Health Service Utilization

This study explored role of the family and mental health service utilization by older Mexican-Americans. Using qualitative exploration, the study investigated family factors influencing their mental health service utilization. The researcher used a purposive sample and interviewed 20 older Mexican Americans, who completed outpatient mental health services located in Texas. Kleinman’s explanatory model (1980) guided the ethnographic content analysis. Findings show the family took several roles to facilitate use of mental health services. The family was involved with respondents throughout the process of help-seeking and accessing mental health services. Family members helped respondents recognize their mental distress by noticing behavior signs and working with their physician. The family shared feedback with the doctor to help facilitate the respondent making the decision to go to treatment. The family motivated respondents by recognizing and acknowledging changes and progress in the treatment program

Intergenerational support among migrant families in Europe

Intergenerational support is important throughout the individual life course and a major mechanism of cultural continuity. In this study, we analyse support between older parents and their adult children among international migrant and non-migrant populations in North, Centre and Southern Europe. Data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe are used to compare upward and downward practical support, grandparenting, and frequency of contact among 62,213 parent–child dyads. Findings indicate limited differences in support between migrants and non-migrants as well as between migrants of various origins. However, persistent differences in intergenerational support across Europe along a north–south gradient are found irrespective of migrant status

Intergenerational Interactions and the Psychological Health of Internet Users in Later Life

Intergenerational interactions have the potential to benefit older adults psychologically and remains an area warranting further investigation. The growing prevalence of internet use and intergenerational programmes has increased the opportunities for accessing intergenerational interactions in the familial and non-familial settings respectively. This thesis sought to elucidate older adults’ experiences of intergenerational interactions in both realms. Part 1 comprises a systematic review considering the impact of internet-mediated familial intergenerational contact on older adults’ psychological health. Based on the 20 included studies, the five broad areas related to remote familial intergenerational contact are: social connections and isolation, broader psychological well-being, sense of self and meaning, emotions and safety. Owing to limitations of the literature and the review, these findings are preliminary and merit further research. Part 2 comprises an empirical qualitative study exploring older internet users’ experiences of non-familial intergenerational interactions and intergenerational programmes, with a focus on their psychological well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed inductively in a process guided by the reflexive thematic analysis approach. Findings illustrated that participants were able to form social connections, reconnect with their younger selves, fulfil their passion for learning, contribute to others and occupy their time meaningfully through intergenerational programmes. Future research should continue to study factors influencing the usefulness of intergenerational programmes for this increasingly heterogeneous population. Part 3 comprises a critical appraisal of issues related to this research process. Reflections about conducting qualitative research and research more generally will be discussed, with an emphasis on subjectivity and practicality

Schools, Schooling, and Children's Support of Their Aging Parents

Intergenerational transfers play an important role in individuals' lives across the life course. In this paper I pull together theories on intergenerational transfers and social change to inform our understanding of how changes in the educational context influence children's support of their parents. By examining multiple aspects of a couple's educational context, including husbands' and wives' education and exposure to schools, this paper provides new information on the mechanisms through which changes in social context influence children's support of their parents. Using data from a rural Nepalese area I use multilevel logistic regression to estimate the relationship between schooling, exposure to schools, and the likelihood of couples giving to their parents. I find that both schooling and exposure to schools itself have separate, opposite effects on support of aging parents. Higher levels of schooling for husbands was associated with a higher likelihood of having given support to husbands' parents. On the other hand, increased exposure to schools for husbands and wives was associated with a lower likelihood of having given to wives' parents. Findings constitute evidence that multiple motivations for intergenerational support exist simultaneously and are related to social context through different mechanisms

Filial obligation across generations and implications for parental psychological well-being

textAdult offspring provide support for their older parents for a variety of reasons. Research has documented how relationship quality, reciprocity of support, and parental needs are associated with adults’ support for their parents. However, adult offspring also help their parents because they believe they should do so. Based on the Family Exchanges Study Wave 2 (FES2) data, this dissertation examined the sense of filial obligation, a family norm that individuals should help their older parents in times of need. The first study investigated the associations of individuals’ sense of filial obligation across three generations. This study explored possible factors associated with family members’ transmission of filial obligation. Findings revealed that grandparents’ sense of filial obligation was associated with that of middle-aged parents. Young adults reported a stronger sense of filial obligation when their parents socialized more frequently with grandparents. The second study investigated whether adult offspring’s filial obligation contributed to their appraisals when helping older parents and parental well-being. The role of frequency of support was also investigated. The results indicated that adult offspring’s stronger sense of filial obligation was associated with less stressful and more rewarding feelings in helping older parents. Furthermore, offspring’s lower stress was associated with less parental depression. In contrast, offspring’s filial beliefs were also associated with more frequent support which was associated with more stress and more parental depression. This dissertation contributes to the literature by integrating the understanding of filial obligation with multiple family members, offspring’s feelings about support, and parental well-being. The findings also informed the importance of including reports from multiple generations and family members in studies regarding intergenerational support.Human Development and Family Science

Predictors of Quality of Life for African American Women Who Assist Persons Who Receive Dialysis

The purpose of this predictive correlational study was to describe predictors of quality of life (QoL) for African American women who were caregivers of persons with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Five purposes, derived from a review of literature and conceptual model, guided this study. First, the study described the association between demographic factors (i.e., education, employment, age, marital status), and QoL. Second, the study explored the relationship between stress and QoL. Third, the study described the association between depressive symptoms and QoL. Fourth, the study described the association between family health/happiness and QoL. Fifth, the study described the extent to which demographic factors, stress, depressive symptoms, and family health/happiness predicted QoL. A secondary analysis of data from 75 African American women derived from a previous study of 120 caregivers of persons receiving either maintenance in-center hemodialysis or home peritoneal dialysis was conducted. Specifically data from the following instruments were included in the current analysis: The Caregiver Demographic Data Form, Quality of Life Index, Family APGAR, Burden Interview, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s r coefficient one -way ANOVA on ranks (Kruskal-Wallis), independent t-test, and backward elimination, forward selection, and step-type multiple regression analysis. The caregivers in this sample rated their QoL as moderate. Caregivers also reported clinically significant depressive symptom scores, little to no stress, and were satisfied with their family health/happiness. Significant negative correlations were found between hours worked, education, stress, and QoL. Significant positive relationships were found between age, educational level, recipients’ relationship to the caregiver, family health/happiness, satisfaction with support, and QoL. Four variables—education, full time employment, part time employment, marital status, and stress—explained 63% of the total variance in QoL scores (p \u3c 0.0001). Caregivers who had more education, were employed full time or part time, and reported more stress experienced the lowest QoL. In addition, caregivers who were married experienced the highest QoL. The findings of this study suggest that QoL is multifaceted and is affected by many areas of a person’s life. Social and economic factors and stress were the strongest predictors of QoL for African American women caring for persons with ESRD. The African American women in this study did not experience high levels of stress even though stress was a significant predictor of QoL. This finding may reflect a problem with the measurement of stress used in this population. Several factors, including caregiver work status, explained caregivers’ QoL. Findings from this study provide support for exploring the needs of working caregivers, as QoL was lowest in this group. Understanding better the experiences of working caregivers would inform clinical practice, health policies, and theory development that address the needs of understudied African American women who help persons manage ESRD

I belong to Canada: The role of Neighbourhood House for the mental health of older visible minority immigrants

Considering Canadian immigration trends, the current aging of the country’s population, and access issues related to services that promote the mental health needs of older visible minority immigrants, more attention is required to understand the role of organizations that offer programs and services to this population group. Using qualitative inquiry and the PRECEDE-PROCEED model, this study aims to determine to what extent programs and services available in the Neighbourhood House sector contribute to the mental health of older visible minority immigrants as understood in the VicHealth Framework