Strategies for Managing Emotional Stress Among Caregivers
Caring for a senior or disabled family member can be a challenging experience, often associated with emotional distress. Caregivers cope with this stress by developing two main types of strategies: problem-focused and emotion-focused coping.
Problem-focused coping, as the name suggests, directly addresses the stressor by employing practical actions such as planning, seeking instrumental support, and taking direct action to address a challenging situation. Research suggests that problem-focused coping is generally more effective for caregivers dealing with emotional distress because it targets the stressor itself [1].
On the other hand, emotion-focused coping primarily aims to manage the emotional response to the stressor without changing the stressor itself. Methods like emotional support, humor, and venting anger and frustration are common in this approach. While useful for emotional regulation, excessive reliance on emotion-focused coping can correlate positively with higher anxiety and depression, as it does not address the root cause of stress [5].
Interestingly, the choice and effectiveness of coping strategies can depend on context and individual differences. For instance, in cases where the stressor is uncontrollable (such as a progressive illness), emotion-focused strategies may provide crucial emotional relief, while problem-focused strategies might be limited [1].
However, a multidimensional, flexible coping approach customized to individual circumstances tends to yield the best outcomes for caregivers dealing with emotional distress. This approach combines both problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies, tailored to the caregiver’s situation [4].
Defining the caregiving experience in negative terms can adversely affect the caregiver's mental and spiritual health. Caregivers who define the situation in positive terms experience lower levels of emotional distress and often follow a problem-focused coping strategy [3].
It's important to note that factors such as gender, age, and health also account for emotional distress in caregivers. Blaming themselves, avoiding conflict, running away from confrontation, and toxic codependency can add to the misery of the caregiver. The demands of caregiving (workload) and common genes and a shared environment between the caregiver and patient can also increase the level of stress [1].
Stress is prevalent in informal caregivers caring for their senior or disabled family members. Caregiving is associated with emotional distress, as measured by anxiety, brain functioning, stress, and depression [1]. However, caregivers who cope with these challenges by acknowledging the complexity of the situation and choosing to find greater meaning in performing mundane caregiving tasks often fare better [2].
Involving a third person or a mediator to solve a conflict between the caregiver and patient is another aspect of problem-focused coping. This third person is most often a family member or a mutual friend [6].
In summary, while problem-focused coping is often more directly effective in lowering caregivers' emotional distress by addressing practical challenges, emotion-focused coping plays an important complementary role in managing the caregiver’s psychological well-being. A balanced, flexible approach that combines both types of coping strategies, tailored to the caregiver’s situation, tends to yield the best outcomes [1,4,5].
Informal caregiving, especially in health-and-wellness contexts, involves both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies to manage emotional distress. Science reveals that problem-focused coping, which targets the stressor, is generally more effective for caregivers since it directly addresses the cause of stress [1]. However, emotion-focused coping, which focuses on managing the emotional response, can offer crucial emotional relief when the stressor is uncontrollable, positively influencing the caregiver's mental health [1].
