Open AccessHow Culture Shapes Informal Caregiver Motivations: A Meta-Ethnographic Review
Author(s) -
Mikołaj Zarzycki,
Diane Seddon,
Eva Bei,
Rachel Dekel,
Valerie Morrison
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
qualitative health research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.303
H-Index - 113
eISSN - 1552-7557
pISSN - 1049-7323
DOI - 10.1177/10497323221110356
Subject(s) - ethnography , reciprocity (cultural anthropology) , psychology , qualitative research , health care , cultural identity , sociology , social psychology , public relations , political science , social science , feeling , anthropology , law
The provision of informal care presents a significant global challenge. To better understand how cultural factors underpin and shape motivations and willingness to provide informal care for adults, an in-depth qualitative synthesis was conducted. Six electronic databases and a wide range of additional sources were searched. Following meta-ethnographic guidelines, 37 qualitative studies were synthesised. Six main concepts were identified: cultural self-identity, which appeared as an overarching explanatory concept; cultural duty and obligations; cultural values; love and emotional attachments; repayment and reciprocity; and competing demands and roles. These concepts informed a model of cultural caregiving motivations, offering an inductive-based exploration of key cultural motivators and highlighting implications for theory development, future research, policy and practice. The model holds implications for the actual exchange of care. Caregiver motivations should not be taken for granted by healthcare or social care professionals involved in assessment and support planning, educational endeavours at a population level may support caregiving, and support should be sensitive to cultural caregiving motivations.