Informal caregivers’ perceptions of self‐efficacy and subjective well‐being when using telecare in the home environment : a qualitative study

Hvalič Touzery, Simona (author), Smole Orehek, Kaja (author), Dolničar, Vesna (author)

Background: Self‐efficacy (SE) can be used to explain informal caregivers’ ability to cope with the challenges of caregiving. Although SE impacts informal caregivers’ subjective well‐being, its effects have not yet been studied from the perspective of telecare use. This study aimed to explore informal caregivers’ perceptions of and associations between SE and subjective well‐being when using different telecare functionalities. Methods: A four‐month intervention study using a qualitative research design was conducted. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 22 informal caregivers of older people who tested one of two telecare devices in their homes. Results: Five task‐specific dimensions of caregiver SE were identified that were shaped by telecare use: controlling upsetting thoughts about the care recipient, managing protective vigilance, obtaining support in emergency situations, managing caregiving, work, family life, and responding in a timely manner to changes in the care recipient’s daily routine. These SE dimensions were associated with caregivers’ subjective well‐being. Conclusions: Telecare use may contribute to greater caregiver SE and higher subjective well‐being. Therefore, future studies should pay more attention to these potential benefits of telecare. Additional dimensions of caregiver SE should be included in existing caregiver SE scales when examining caregiver SE related to telecare use.

• Language: English
• Keywords: informal care, informal caregivers, telecare, assistive technologies, home monitoring devices, subjective well‐being, self‐efficacy, qualitative study
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Submitted for review: 20.07.2022
• Article acceptance date: 21.08.2022
• Publication date: 23.08.2022
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: Str. 1-22
• Numbering: Vol. 7, no. 5
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-138921
• UDC: 364-47:621.39
• ISSN on article: 2308-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/geriatrics7050086
• COBISS.SI-ID: 119117571
• Publication date in RUL: 25.08.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Geriatrics
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2308-3417
• COBISS.SI-ID: 526109977

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 25.08.2022