Acculturation and Filial Piety as Mediators of the Relationship Between Caregiver Burden and Gender-Role Expectations in Hispanic-American Rehabilitation Services Students

Abstract

Purpose: Hispanic-Americans are the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. The need to care for older Hispanics has become an important issue as they now enjoy longer life expectancies due to better access to healthcare and less labor participation in hazardous occupations. The present study examined whether the association between caregiver burden and gender-role expectations is mediated by acculturation and filial piety. Method: The sample consisted of 93 Mexican-American rehabilitation services students enrolled at a large public university in Texas. The four instruments used in the study were the Zarit Burden Interview, the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican-Americans-Revised, and the Expectations of Filial Piety Scale. Participants visited an online survey site to respond to the questionnaire. Results: About half of the most common person to whom care was being provided was a parent 49.5% (n = 46) with 35.5% (n = 33) grandparents and 15.1% (n = 14) siblings. Acculturation scores were positively correlated with both gender-role expectations (r = .23, p = .027) and filial piety (r = .30, p = .003) scores. In addition, caregiver burden scores were negatively correlated with gender-role expectation scores (r = -.21, p = .046) and filial piety scores were positively correlated with gender-role expectation scores (r = .29, p = .005). The correlation between caregiver burden and filial piety was not statistically significant (r = -.10, P > .05 n.s.). Moreover, neither acculturation nor filial piety mediated the relationship between gender-role expectations and caregiver burden. Conclusion: Mexican-Americans view aging positively, have a sense of caring for elders, and have strong ties to their culture. As a result of strong Hispanic family values, the obligation to care for family members (i.e., familism) tends to occur with little hesitance. Future replication studies are needed to better understand the effects of acculturation and filial piety on caregiver burden among Mexican-Americans residing in other regions of the country, including outside the cities along the United States-Mexico border. The rationale for further research is that living in predominantly-White states such as Minnesota and Wyoming, where Mexican-Americans make up a small fraction of the population, might have effects on their acculturation.

Relationship Between Acculturation and Mental Health in Korean American Family Caregivers of Community-Dwelling Persons Living with Dementia

“…Given that dementia caregiving can persist over a prolonged period of time, these cultural norms about caregiving duties and familial responsibility would ultimately lead to caregiver burnout (Brank & Wylie, 2016). In support of this, another study noted that caregivers who have a high sense of duty or obligation for caring for their family members but face challenges in providing care alone would not only report increased caregiver burden but also feelings of shame, embarrassment, resentment, guilt, and self-blame (R. K. Chen et al, 2017).…”

“…Given that dementia caregiving can persist over a prolonged period of time, these cultural norms about caregiving duties and familial responsibility would ultimately lead to caregiver burnout (Brank & Wylie, 2016). In support of this, another study noted that caregivers who have a high sense of duty or obligation for caring for their family members but face challenges in providing care alone would not only report increased caregiver burden but also feelings of shame, embarrassment, resentment, guilt, and self-blame (R. K. Chen et al, 2017). The present study contributes to the growing body of evidence in this area with this specific population and provides empirical support for the need to consider one's acculturation level, which incorporates different cultural perceptions and expectations of the caregiving role when assessing one's mental health outcomes.…”

Orientare i giovani. Una responsabilità educativa e pedagogica per costruire traiettorie formative sostenibili

“…However, some family members may not consider caring a loved one with a disability a burden. Ethno-cultural practices, religious beliefs, and gender-role expectations can alleviate the encumbrance and make caring activities more bearable (Chen et al, 2017). This internalized sense of duty serves as a psychological buffer that helps family members, regardless of the presence or absence of a disability.…”