1,226
Views
8
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Caregivers

“I’ve been always strong to conquer any suffering:” challenges and resilience of Chinese American dementia caregivers in a life course perspective

, , &
Pages 1716-1724 | Received 11 Feb 2020, Accepted 05 Jul 2020, Published online: 20 Jul 2020
 

Abstract

Objectives

This study investigated the resilience of a growing but largely underserved and understudied population—Chinese American dementia caregivers, whose experience is embedded in their development throughout the life span, process of migration, and sociocultural contexts.

Method

Narrative data were collected from in-depth interviews with 27 Chinese caregivers in New York City. Based on the hybrid grounded theory model, a three-steps coding procedure was implemented to identify themes emerged from the data.

Results

16 themes emerged from the data and fit two categories, challenge and resilience, in each of the four principles—time and place, timing in lives, linked lives, and agency—of the developmental life course perspective. Physical and emotional exhaustion is the challenge theme that was the most frequently mentioned followed by limited knowledge of dementia, navigating the U.S. health care system, and limited time for self-development. Three aspects of resilience—sense of mastery, access to formal and informal support, and commitment to care—were salient among the Chinese American caregivers.

Conclusion

This study shed important light on the multifaceted challenges and resilience of Chinese American caregivers. The findings indicate the necessity of developing culturally meaningful services for immigrant caregivers to address their complex challenges and improve their multifaceted resilience.

Disclosure statement

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

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 688.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.