Qualitative content analysis of mental-behavioral health problems and resilience of the elderly and home caregivers
Masoud Bahrami, Rahele SamoueiBACKGROUND:
The rapid growth of the elderly population in Iran has made studying the mental and behavioral health challenges of the elderly and their home caregivers a necessity for health policymaking; in this regard, the study was conducted with the aim of identifying the behavioral and mental health problems and resilience of home caregivers and the elderly.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
The research was conducted with a qualitative content analysis approach and with a purposeful sampling of 15 elderly people in need of care and 18 home caregivers. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using the inductive content analysis method. Compliance with the principles of validation of qualitative research, including confirmability, transferability, reliability, and validity, was considered at all stages of the study.
RESULTS:
The present study provided a perspective on the multidimensional challenges of the elderly and their caregivers. Findings from the perspective of the elderly showed that a combination of chronic physical problems, mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, social isolation, financial insecurity, and challenges in the living environment affects their health and quality of life. On the other hand, home caregivers face severe psychological stress, family conflicts, lack of caregiving skills, and economic hardships.
CONCLUSION:
The findings of this study, addressed to health policymakers, emphasize the need to develop comprehensive support programs that simultaneously cover the needs of the elderly and their caregivers, and reveal the need to provide specialized counseling services for the elderly and their caregivers. It also provides a basis for designing caregiving skills training programs, developing telephone and online counseling services, and establishing financial support mechanisms, and provides a conceptual framework for future research in the field of designing and evaluating effective interventions in this area.