Stressors and Life Goals of Caregivers of Individuals With Disabilities

Abstract

Caregivers of individuals with disabilities can experience stress as they manage caregiving responsibilities while they attempt to balance family, work, and the satisfaction of their personal goals. In this pilot study, 31 caregivers of individuals with a variety of disabilities completed a quantitative-qualitative survey. A statistically significant relationship was found between the age and severity of disability of the family member receiving care, the length of time care had been provided, the educational level and the relationship of the caregiver to the family member and reported feelings of optimism, humbleness, quality of family relationships, financial concerns, loss of control, and hope. When life goals were probed, the most common reported were achieving financial stability, having a strong, healthy family, and experiencing happiness. The implications for supporting caregivers and their families are discussed.

Variables That Can Enhance and Complicate Sibling Caregiving of Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

“…If caregiving stress extends beyond what is considered reasonable by siblings, negative outcomes may follow and pull them away from caregiving. If carers' needs are not acknowledged and sufficiently managed, the situation can create a pile‐up of stressors on carer affecting their entire family's psychological, financial, and emotional well‐being (Raver et al., ).…”

“…Negative outcomes are also determined by the meaning one makes of a situation and coping skills. Thus, if a carer constructs a positive meaning, caregiving can be associated with positive outcomes such as enhanced sense of mastery, gratification, satisfaction, feelings of personal gains, and overall psychological growth in the carer (Braithwaite, ; Easter Seals, ; Kinsella, Anderson, & Anderson, ; Lawton, Kleban, Moss, Rovine, & Glicksman, ; Raver, Michalek, & Gillespie, ). These positive feelings to the caregiving processes have a potential to lower perceptions of caregiving burden and strengthen consistent engagement in caregiving.…”

Különleges Bánásmód, 2021. 7. (2.)

“…Ha megfordítjuk a képet, akkor azt is láthatjuk, hogy amikor a gondozást végző személy pozitív érzéseket és helyzeteket is megél, akkor annak olyan pozitív hozadéka van, mint a fogyatékos személy fejlődése, önállósodása, elégedett közérzete, alkalmazkodó képességének a javulása (Easter Seals, 2012;Raver, Michalek és Gillespie, 2011).…”

‘Reflections on a birthday’: An auto-ethnographic account of caring for a child with a learning disability

“…This ‘objectivity’ was easy to achieve then, but now I am on the receiving end of services and I question what emotional support there is out there for parents like me to manage feelings. The literature indicates that the carers of people with disabilities may experience stress as they attempt to juggle multiple responsibilities such as caring for other children, work and being a partner (Raver et al., 2011; Strohm, 2004). From my perspective, they were right.…”