Caregiving for Parents Who Harmed You: A Conceptual Review

Autor: Tracy Schroepfer, Anne Kunze, Jooyoung Kong, Jaime Goldberg
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Clin Gerontol
ISSN: 1545-2301
Popis: OBJECTIVES: This paper aims to provide a conceptual review of prior research on the effect of a history of parental childhood maltreatment on the experiences and outcomes of adult-child caregivers who provide care to their perpetrating parents. METHODS: We performed a search using several databases including PsycINFO, ScienceDirect, and Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) for relevant papers and reviewed reference sections of selected papers. RESULTS: Histories of childhood maltreatment are associated with adverse psychological health in adult-child caregivers and reduced frequencies of providing support to their parents. The potential factors affecting the experiences and outcomes of such caregivers include contemporaneous relationships with perpetrating parents; caregivers’ sense of choice about providing care; opportunities for posttraumatic growth; and participating in care through the end of life. CONCLUSIONS: Caregiving for perpetrating parents can be particularly challenging due to complex, intersecting factors; thus, healthcare practitioners’ increased awareness of and knowledge about such caregivers are crucial to provide effective support. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: We highlighted the importance of ensuring caregivers’ sense of choice and assessing their posttraumatic growth. In caregiving at the end of life, we noted the importance of using a trauma-informed approach when interacting with caregivers and their family members during illness and bereavement.
Databáze: OpenAIRE