Decision pathways and individual motives in informal caregiving during cancer treatment in Turkey

Abstract

The impact of informal care to both the patients' and carers' physical and psychological well-being is studied in detail. However, despite the social and clinical impact of this role, decision pathways and individual motives in becoming a caregiver have attracted less attention. The study aims to explore individual and collective decision pathways of becoming an informal caregiver, as well as individual motives and contextual factors that contribute to this role during cancer treatment in Turkey. Fourty-nine women and 10 men informal caregivers were recruited from the oncology department of the Marmara Medical School Hospital in Istanbul. Two trained research assistants carried out semi-structured interviews. A qualitative content analysis was conducted. Results indicated that individual decisions, social and family network decisions, role-dependent obligations were the primary paths of decision of becoming an informal caregiver. Three personal motives for caregiving were sense of social responsibility and obligation, personal and emotional connectedness, and sense of competence. The decision to become caregivers are closely connected with individual experiences and social and cultural factors. Understanding the individual and cultural context of findings might contribute to the design of appropriate support programs for informal caregivers in oncology clinics.

Carers, Choice and Personalisation: What Do We Know?

“…They specifically identified the importance of carer emotions, such as altruism, obligation and reciprocity, and the way these are simultaneously bound up with kinship ties and feelings of ‘love’ for the person they support. Feelings of altruism and obligation, often epitomised by the ‘dutiful wife’ and the ‘loving daughter/son’, with the subtext that caring is the ‘right’ or ‘proper’ thing to do, have been reiterated in other work (Dunér, 2008; Kuşçu et al , 2009; Lyon, 2010; Shulz et al , 2012).…”

“…Furthermore, subsequent studies have continued to indicate that organisational and contextual factors constrain carer choices, and that many carers feel they have little real alternative to caring (Dunér, 2008; Kuşçu et al , 2009; Schulz et al , 2012). Such factors include professional attitudes and practices.…”

“…Work that has been carried out since Arksey and Glendinning's (2007) review has both supported and developed their suggestion about the need for awareness of the nature of caregiving relationships. For example, others have emphasised the importance of acknowledging that carers, and those they support, may differ in their views and expectations about each other's needs and the caring role (Dunér, 2008;Kuşçu et al, 2009;Oudijk et al, 2011;Shulz et al, 2012;Longacre et al, 2013). Arksey and Glendinning (2007) also reported that carers' interpretations draw on a myriad of personal motives and life history experiences, spanning social, moral and cultural spheres.…”

Motivos y percepciones del cuidado familiar de mayores dependientes

“…En estos casos, son frecuentes las expresiones de satisfacción por el cuidado del familiar. Este motivo ha sido señalado por numerosos estudios realizados en contextos tan distintos como Turquía 21 y Taiwán 39 y con diferentes perfiles de personas cuidadoras.…”

“…Diversos motivos han sido identificados por estudios previos, destacando la obligación 18 , el familismo 19 , la reciprocidad 20 y el afecto 21 . También los relacionados con la tradición 22 , la presión social 23 , la compensación financiera 18 y la percepción de falta de alternativas 24 .…”