Gong Xiuquan, Wang Xuanyan, Qi Xiang, Wu Bei
Social Science and Public Administration, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, New York, USA.
J Aging Soc Policy. 2024 Nov 4:1-18. doi: 10.1080/08959420.2024.2422653.
Few studies have compared pain management provided by informal and formal caregivers of older adults in China at the end of life. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the association between formal and informal care and painfulness at the end of life among older adults in China. Specifically, the study focuses on the influence of various types of informal care. Data were obtained from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) conducted from 2002 to 2018, which is the largest nationally representative study of older adults in China, with a sample size of 21,849 deceased participants. Results from multiple logistic regressions suggest that informal care is associated with a more painful end-of-life experience compared to formal care, with care provided by adult children being a more favorable option within informal care. These findings underscore the urgent need to prioritize education on death and dying, improve the formal care system, and enhance professionalism within informal care.
很少有研究比较过中国老年人临终时非正式照护者和正式照护者所提供的疼痛管理情况。本研究旨在通过调查中国老年人正式照护与非正式照护和临终时疼痛程度之间的关联来填补这一空白。具体而言，该研究聚焦于各类非正式照护的影响。数据来自2002年至2018年开展的中国老年健康影响因素跟踪调查（CLHLS），这是中国规模最大的具有全国代表性的老年人研究，样本包含21,849名已故参与者。多项逻辑回归结果表明，与正式照护相比，非正式照护与更痛苦的临终体验相关，在非正式照护中，由成年子女提供的照护是更有利的选择。这些发现凸显了迫切需要优先开展关于死亡和临终的教育、改善正式照护系统并提高非正式照护的专业性。
