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Caregiving burden in foreign domestic workers caring for frail older adults in Singapore

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2018

Ngoc Huong Lien Ha ,
Mei Sian Chong ,
Robin Wai Munn Choo ,
Wai Jia Tam  and
Philip Lin Kiat Yap
Ngoc Huong Lien Ha
Affiliation:
Geriatric Education and Research Institute, Singapore
Mei Sian Chong
Affiliation:
Geriatric Education and Research Institute, Singapore
Robin Wai Munn Choo
Affiliation:
Geriatric Education and Research Institute, Singapore
Wai Jia Tam
Affiliation:
Geriatric Education and Research Institute, Singapore
Philip Lin Kiat Yap*
Affiliation:
Geriatric Education and Research Institute, Singapore Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Philip Lin Kiat Yap, Associate Professor, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, 90 Yishun Central, Singapore768828. Phone: +65-66022154. Email: yap.philip.lk@ktph.com.sg.
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Abstract

Background:

Although foreign domestic workers (FDWs) play a significant role in caring for frail seniors in Singapore and are vulnerable to caregiving burden, there has been little research conducted hitherto. We explored caregiver burden and its determinants in this study.

Methods:

FDWs (N = 221, Mage = 32.3, SD = 6.23) recruited from a hospital geriatric unit completed the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) administered in English, Bahasa Melayu, or Burmese. Univariate and multivariate regression were employed to investigate factors influencing caregiving burden in FDWs.

Results:

Majority were Indonesians (60.0%), married (57.5%) with children (62.4%), with secondary-level education (59.7%), and providing care for >1 year (79.9%). Importantly, 25.1% reported physical health problems and 23.1% encountered language difficulties with employers. Univariate analysis revealed three significant factors associated with caregiving burden: nationality (p < 0.001), lack of privacy (p = 0.029), and caring for persons with dementia (PWD) (p = 0.001). On multivariate regression, FDWs who cared for PWD were 5.47 times (p = 0.013) more likely to experience burden, while FDWs who encountered language difficulties were 5.46 times (p = 0.030) more likely to experience burden. Filipinos FDWs were 9.73 times more likely to express burden (p < 0.001) compared to their Indonesian and Burmese counterparts.

Conclusion:

The study highlights caregiver burden in FDWs and potential ways to alleviate it by empowering FDWs with dementia-specific caregiving skills, providing language training opportunities, and supporting particular FDW ethnic groups with more emotional and practical help.

Keywords

caregivingdementiaburdenforeign domestic workers
Type
Original Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 30 , Issue 8: Issue Theme: Caregiver Stress , August 2018 , pp. 1139 - 1147
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2018 

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