Postdoctoral Research Station in Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, China, Centre for Gerontological Nursing, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Centre for Gerontological Nursing, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Dementia (London). 2022 Jul;21(5):1682-1698. doi: 10.1177/14713012221093879. Epub 2022 Apr 28.
Leisure activities are essential for family caregivers of loved ones with dementia living in the community, yet these caregivers tend not to engage in them, especially in China, wherein it may have a negative impact on their physical and psychological health. To date, limited knowledge exists regarding underlying reasons that deter these family caregivers from doing leisure activities. This study aims to explore perceptions of family caregivers of people living with dementia and their engagement in leisure activities. A qualitative descriptive research design was used with semi-structured, face-to-face, individual in-depth interviews. The data were collected in Shijiazhuang, China between October and November 2019. Content analysis was used to develop categories. Results of 20 family caregivers (5 men and 15 women, mean age = 55.6±12.7) reported their perceptions under four main categories: (i) "the condition of leisure life," (ii) "needs for leisure activities," (iii) "reasons for the reluctance to do leisure activities," and (iv) "motivations supporting the implementation of leisure activities." In addition to the heavy caregiving workload and lack of support, traditional Chinese beliefs including filial commitment and "fatalistic voluntarism" were the reasons that prevented Chinese family caregivers of people living with dementia from doing leisure activities. However, engaging their loved ones in leisure activities, like doing exercise together, could motivate family caregivers themselves to participate in leisure activities. These findings encourage healthcare professionals to consider the influence of culture on family caregivers' engagement in leisure activities which is one of the ways to reduce stress. Family caregivers may benefit from the leisure activities by learning how to better cope with and balance caregiving tasks with their leisure pursuits in the community.
闲暇活动对于社区中照顾痴呆症患者的家庭成员至关重要，但这些照顾者往往不参与这些活动，尤其是在中国，这可能会对他们的身心健康产生负面影响。迄今为止，对于阻止这些家庭照顾者参与闲暇活动的根本原因，我们知之甚少。本研究旨在探讨痴呆症患者家庭照顾者对闲暇活动的看法及其参与情况。采用半结构式、面对面、个体深入访谈的定性描述性研究设计。数据于 2019 年 10 月至 11 月在中国石家庄收集。采用内容分析法对类别进行开发。结果报告了 20 名家庭照顾者（5 名男性和 15 名女性，平均年龄=55.6±12.7）的看法，分为四个主要类别：（i）“闲暇生活状况”，（ii）“休闲活动需求”，（iii）“不愿从事休闲活动的原因”，以及（iv）“支持开展休闲活动的动机”。除了繁重的照顾工作负荷和缺乏支持外，中国传统观念，包括孝顺承诺和“宿命论的自愿主义”，也是中国痴呆症患者家庭照顾者不参与闲暇活动的原因。然而，让他们所爱的人参与闲暇活动，例如一起做运动，可以激励家庭照顾者自己参与闲暇活动。这些发现鼓励医疗保健专业人员考虑文化对家庭照顾者参与闲暇活动的影响，这是减轻压力的一种方式。家庭照顾者可以通过学习如何更好地应对和平衡照顾任务与他们在社区中的休闲活动来受益于闲暇活动。
