Social support among family caregivers of elderly persons in Gozo

Abstract

Social capital, from a network-based approach, refers to the networks of social relations. Social networks are key mechanisms that facilitate access to social resources. One resource, fundamental to human nature, is social support. Social support, as a derivative of social capital, is believed to promote better health conditions and general well-being. A large multidisciplinary literature has highlighted how social support within network relations serves to buffer individuals from stressful outcomes. This dissertation examines the relationship between the levels of social capital, stress, and social support among family caregivers of dependent older persons in Gozo by analysing whether high levels of social capital contribute to low levels of stress. This study was achieved using the qualitative, intrinsic case study method, whereby data was collected by means of in-depth interviews with family caregivers of older dependent persons. Interviews with older persons receiving informal care and with representatives of formal support services, such as representatives of the Department for Customer Services, the Social Security Department, and from Non-Governmental Organisations that work with older persons in Gozo, were also carried out in order to further understand the experiences of family caregivers. This study strongly supports the relationship between social capital, stress, and social support. The main conclusion that emerged from the general data collection was that family caregivers surrounded by high levels of formal and informal social capital and social support experience low levels of stress in their caregiving.