Exploring how to care for each other; promoting phycho-social well-being of middle-aged professional female caregiver and the spouse who care for the elderly parents

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26463482
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Gerontological nursing
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: HASHIZUME Yumi 筑波大学, 医学医療系, 准教授 (40303284)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 勤労女性介護者 / 老親介護 / 熟年夫婦 / ストレスマネジメント / 共助互恵性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to explore how the middle-aged professional female caregiver (here after employed female caregiver, EFC) and the spouse to care for each other while coping with caregiving the elderly parents. EFC has to work on controlling their feelings at work place and at home for caring others, they are at risk of burnout and depressive mood. Sharing tasks of child-raising, household chores and caregiving was mandatory; however, psycho-social care from husband to wife (EFC) which make the wife recognizes “being accepted as the way she is” was indispensable as the Japanese gender role norm such as being a good caregiver (house wife and mother) is prevailing as moral directive. Some spouse shared his gender role awareness disturbed taking care of his wife. For promoting provision of interpersonal support of the dyad, exploration the skills in culturally acceptable ways is needed.

Free Research Field

高齢者看護学、地域看護学、家族看護学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

超高齢社会における看護介護を担う人材として、豊かな実務・人生経験をもつ中高年勤労女性看護介護従事者（以下、女性または妻）の確保が求められており、これら女性の介護辞職回避のために、夫からの精神的サポートが重要である。本研究では、老親を介護する勤労者夫婦間で、妻が「夫から、ありのままの自分を受け入れられている」感覚が持てるような夫からの働きかけが、女性の精神的健康の保持増進と、介護辞職回避のために必須となることがわかった。
介護前離婚、虐待・尊属殺人等の危機的現象の報道が増える昨今、夫婦のプライバシーに配慮しつつ、熟年夫婦の関係性を深める手立てについて海外の事例を交えて検討する意義を見出せた。