title: Non-supportive interactions in the experience of women family caregivers.
abstract: The purpose of this ethnographic study was to identify and describe types of non-supportive interactions perceived by 59 women family caregivers in four diverse situations. Participants included 15 mothers of infants born prematurely, 14 mothers of a child with a chronic disease (asthma or diabetes), and women caring for an adult family member with either cancer (15) or dementia (15). Data collection methods included an initial in-depth interview with all women, followed by a second interview with a smaller group of caregivers including a card sort exercise that was based on thematic content analysis of the first interview data. A typology of non-supportive interactions was developed from analysis of the first two interviews and confirmed in a final interview with a subset of study participants. Interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Women in all caregiving situations described experience with three types of non-supportive interactions. These interactions were negative, ineffective, or lacking expected support. The women's appraisal of interactions as supportive or non-supportive was rooted in their personal expectations and the context of their situation. Information about types of non-supportive interactions can sensitise professionals, family and friends to mismatches between their assistance and caregivers' requirements, potentially avoiding negative consequences.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. anne.neufeld@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neufeld
authors.forename: Margaret J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000416:Alberta; D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D017028:Caregivers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support