Sandwich generation caregivers’ problems: a narrative review

ABSTRACT

The sandwich generation is a group of untrained caregivers involved in the long-term care process. These individuals often face physical, psychological, economic and social problems during care, and according to numerous studies, the number of people falling into this group of caregivers is increasing. The aim of this study was to combine the results of previous studies to better understand and properly manage the consequences of long-term family care for the sandwich generation. To answer the question of what difficulties the sandwich generation cope with, we conducted an extensive review of the literature available on electronic online databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar. Using a systematic search, the studies reporting on the issues faced by the sandwich generation were narrowed down to 23 articles. Combining the results of these studies made it evident that caregivers face many physical, psychological, economic, employment and marital problems during care, the complexity and variety of which can be influenced by the intensity and duration of care. The sandwich generation may suffer from myriad issues resulting from their particular line of work; as such, it is of utmost importance that steps are taken identify these problems and understand how they affect their lives in order to facilitate the planning and implementation of support services which can help alleviate the burden these difficulties cause.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical approval statement

This narrative review was the first phase of a study entitled “Explaining the process of caregiving by sandwich generation” which approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (IR.USWR.REC.1400.236).