Introduction
Caregiving is assisting and supporting people who, due to physical, mental, or emotional problems, cannot perform activities of daily living (Kleinman, 2012). Caregiving involves helping the care receiver by carrying out activities such as bathing, clothing, eating, giving medication, and offering emotional support. Caregiving can be a rewarding but challenging experience because it causes much stress, which can affect the caregivers’ physical and mental health. Kazemi et al. (2021) suggest that caregiving stressors are a significant problem, and caregivers experience depression, anxiety, and burnout due to numerous stressors, such as physical and emotional demands, monetary and legal concerns, and social and cultural expectations. In this regard, this paper draws from the transactional theory of stress and coping by investigating the stressors induced by caregiving and the personal, social, and environmental factors that contribute to these stressors. It also examines the coping strategies caregivers use to deal with stressors. The paper argues that caregiving is a challenging profession with stressors that hinder effective service delivery. However, effective coping resources and strategies can help deal with stress-induced caregiving.
Critical Analysis and Discussion
Selective Stressors in Caregivers
Numerous research endeavors have demonstrated that individuals undertaking caregiving roles confront an array of selective stressors that can gravely impede their physical and emotional well-being. Pearlin et al.’s (1990) scholarly investigation has conclusively revealed that the augmented workload is a stressor directly associated with caregiving. Caregivers are burdened with sundry obligations like tending to children, managing households, and endowing customized care to those they serve; this inevitably engenders feelings of inadequacy, exhaustion, and overwhelming sensations instead of amplified responsibilities. Hsiao (2010) suggests that different aspects complementary to the experience, such as informal or formal caregiving and the amount of social support available for the caregiver, relate to deferring levels generated by these caregivers’ stress. Informal caregiving invariably proves more daunting than formal caregiving while further accentuated by diminished social support translating into inclemently elevated levels of abject distress susceptibility among caregivers.
It has been previously posited through extensive research that caregivers are exposed to developing mental afflictions such as anxiety, depression, and burnout compared to individuals not undertaking this arduous responsibility (Manalel et al., 2022). This may be attributed to the multitude of emotionally taxing situations where caregivers must engage about demands on their physical and intellectual well-being, fiscal and legal obligations, and social responsibilities shaped by cultural norms. A study by Parks et al. (2018) demonstrated that a combination of demanding physical tasks associated with caregiving duties compounded by a lack of personal respite coupled with inadequate support from one’s network proves particularly distressing for caregivers; indeed, it has been firmly established that these individuals experience substantially higher levels of stress when compared against non-caregivers. Furthermore, profoundly deep relationships between caregiver and recipient, such as parent-child connections, exert pressure on an already heavily burdened caretaker, further inflaming risks inducing spiked stress levels when weighed against circumstances managed by care providers holding distant relationships (Kulkarni et al., 2014).
According to Kazemi et al. (2021), financial strain is a stressor associated with caregiving because caregiving can be expensive, especially if the recipient requires specialized equipment or medical care. Caregivers must take time off or reduce their work hours to provide care, resulting in a loss of income because the financial strain can cause stress, anxiety, and depression for caregivers. In addition to workload and financial strain, caregivers also experience emotional stressors (Aneshensel et al., 1993). The emotional stress associated with caregiving can lead to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Providing care to close compatriots can be emotionally taxing, making caregivers experience guilt, anger, frustration, and grief (Aneshensel et al., 1993).
Personal, Social, and Environmental Factors Contributing to Stressors
Several personal factors have been identified as contributing to the stressors experienced by caregivers. According to Baumgartner and Schneider (2020), personality traits such as neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and agreeableness are personal factors that influence caregiver stress. Neuroticism is associated with the adverse effects of stressors; caregivers who are neurotic tend to experience higher stress levels. The level of stress experience suggests that personality traits influence how caregivers respond to the stressors associated with caregiving (Leger et al., 2016).
According to Wijesinghe et al. (2015), the availability of social support is a social factor that can impact caregiver stress levels. Caregivers with access to social support, such as emotional and practical assistance from family and friends, tend to experience lower stress levels. In contrast, caregivers who lack social support feel alienated and overwhelmed, leading to higher stress levels. Caregiving can also impact the caregiver’s finances (Giesbrecht et al., 2013). In 2009, 27% of adult caregivers reported that providing care imposed a moderate to high financial strain on them, indicating social welfare’s influence.
Finally, environmental factors such as the caregiver’s culture impact caregiver stress. According to Harrill (2014), cultural values and beliefs can influence how caregivers perceive their caregiving role and its stressors. For example, caregiving is viewed as a duty and a source of pride in some cultures, while in others; it is seen as a burden and a source of shame. Cultural differences can impact how caregivers cope with the stressors associated with caregiving (Knight & Sayegh, 2010). How emotions are experienced and expressed by caregivers in a particular cultural setting is constrained by culture and influences how people should react and express their emotions in different situations. For example, Americans have a can-do mentality that affects how stressors impact a caregiver.
Stressors Coping Resources and Strategies for Caregiving
The leading theory that can be applied to understand the stressors and coping strategies in caregiving is the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping introduced by Lazarus and Folkman in 1984. According to the transactional theory, stress results from a transaction between a person and their environment, where the person’s appraisal of the situation determines their emotional and behavioral response (Lazarus & Folkman, 1987). The Model suggests that coping is a dynamic process that involves cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage stress.
According to Lazarus (1990), the Transactional Model can be used to understand how people appraise the stressors associated with their role and the coping strategies they utilize to manage the stress. For example, a caregiver who appraises caregiving as a burden may experience higher stress levels and utilize avoidance coping strategies, such as denial and hard thinking. In contrast, a caregiver who appraises caregiving as an opportunity for personal growth may experience lower stress levels and utilize problem-focused coping strategies, such as seeking information and effective planning. Applying the Transactional Model to caregiving can help identify specific stressors and coping strategies relevant to individual caregivers (Lazarus & Monat, 1991). Lazarus’ Model can inform the development of tailored interventions that address caregivers’ specific needs and coping strategies to manage stress and promote well-being effectively.
In the contemporary world, coping resources and strategies have been identified that can help caregivers manage the stress associated with caregiving. According to Wijesinghe et al. (2015), the availability of social support to caregivers influences the effectiveness of caregiving. For example, caregivers with access to social support, such as emotional and practical assistance from family and friends, tend to experience lower stress levels. Support groups specifically for caregivers have also effectively reduced stress and improved mental health outcomes (Scholarworks & Dillard, 2019). In addition, respite care is a coping resource that can be effective for caregiving which involves providing temporary relief for caregivers by having someone else care for the recipient for a period of time (Manalel et al., 2022). Respite care can give caregivers a much-needed break from their caregiving responsibilities, allowing them to recharge and reduce stress.
Furthermore, problem-solving is an effective stressor-coping strategy involving identifying the problem causing stress and developing a plan of action to address it. According to Kleinman (2012), problem-solving a stressor is a moral experience. Individuals can utilize problem-focused strategies to cope with stress and ultimately report lower stress levels than those who use emotion-focused strategies (Lazarus, 1990). Caregivers overwhelmed by their workload could identify tasks that could be delegated. A study by Parks et al. (2018) found that cognitive restructuring can be an effective stressor-coping strategy because it involves changing how people perceive a situation to reduce the impact of stress. Caregivers can focus on the positive aspects of their caregiving role, such as the opportunity to spend quality time with their friends and family, instead of perceiving caregiving as a burden.
Conclusion
In conclusion, stressors associated with caregiving can impact caregivers’ physical and psychological well-being because caregivers are exposed to stressful conditions. The sundry stressors experienced by caregivers entail an augmented workload associated with caregiving, financial encumbrances, and emotional challenges. Additionally, intrinsic factors such as personality traits combine with extrinsic factors like social support and cultural values to contribute to caregiver distress. Nevertheless, caregivers can resort to coping resources such as respite care and social support mechanisms, exercising strategy formulation techniques such as problem-solving abilities and cognitive restructuring resolutions. In essence, they must identify optimal coping strategies that will allow them to deliver adequate care for close friends and family members while preserving their well-being during this ponderous journey of family caregiving.
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