Caregiving in the Philippines: A quantitative survey on adult-child caregivers’ perceptions of burden, stressors, and social support

This study aims to describe the present caregiving situation of Filipino adult-child caregivers (CGs) particularly aiming to identify the predictors of CG burden and to assess the effect of social support on stressors and perception of burden. A cross-sectional survey employing face-to-face interviews with 193 adult-child CGs in Davao City, Philippines, measured the perception of burden using the Cost of Care Index (CCI) by Kosberg and Cairl. Results indicated the majority were daughter CGs living with their elderly parents, who were receiving high levels of informal social support. A moderate to high level of burden perception (mean ± S.D. score of 47.0 ± 9.1) was found among respondents. CGs with higher educational attainment showed low burden perception. However, higher family income and higher State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) anxiety scores were associated with higher burden perception. Also, longer caregiving hours, a male care recipient (CR), and the presence of CR's memory and behavior problems predicted higher CG burden. The interaction between stressors and perceived burden showed that social support provided a buffering effect for CGs experiencing higher burden perception. This suggests that respite and support resources including community-based counseling and education programs to assist CGs in dealing with stress may positively contribute to reduce burden.