A study conducted by the Fuhong Society of Macau and the University of Macau (UM) has drawn attention to the mental health of those who care for people with a disability.
Recently, the institutions released a survey report. From March 2019, the association has been working with a research team from UM to investigate the burden and mental health status of caregivers in Macau.
16 college students from UM’s Department of Psychology and Social Workers collected information from those who care for people with intellectual or mental disabilities. In total, 234 valid questionnaires were collected.
The study found that 31.7% and 46.6% of caregivers experience moderate-to-severe depression and anxiety symptoms respectively.
It was also identified that the government is not providing adequate support to the caregivers of people with intellectual or mental disabilities and people undergoing rehabilitation for mental or physical disability.
These caregivers exhibit anxiety in the process of seeking help. Nursing difficulties and the lack of adequate financial support are the key factors causing their depression and anxiety.
In addition, the study also found that, faced with traditional Chinese values, some caregivers suffer from an even greater level of depression. The study specifically drew attention to the classical Chinese conscience, stipulating that women ought to be in charge of domestic matters, with men taking care of non-domestic matters, and family scandals being kept to the family only.
“Because of Chinese culture’s high regard of ‘saving face,’ female family members are taken for granted in supporting [the family’s reputation]. Therefore, worrying that they might make the family lose face is one of the reasons [contributing to] mental pain for these caregivers,” the survey concluded.
78% of the survey respondents were women. 30% of the respondents spent 40 hours taking care of people with mental disabilities, 50% of the interviewees had a monthly income of approximately 5,000 patacas, more than half of them cared for people aged above 61 years old, while 36% cared for people aged between 51 and 60 years old.
The association proposed to the local government the implementation of a pilot program for caregivers, with the program granting caregivers a subsidy of 2,000 patacas, equivalent to 10% of the median income of a Macau resident in the fourth quarter of 2019. Applicants are mainly Macau permanent residents who do not work for government subsidized nurseries.
The association also suggested that the local government should allow the caregivers, as well as the recipients of the care, to be simultaneously eligible for other subsidies.
The association wants the local government to adjust the subsidies every two years.
Meanwhile, commenting on the results of the study, Brian Hall, director of the Global and Community Mental Health Research Group at UM remarked, “The main conclusions are that there exist mental health problems in caregivers of people with disabilities, and that support measures are needed, which may cost less to the government if they are applied preventively.”
Hall further explained that prevention is less costly than a cure, particularly in terms of the wider healthcare costs and demand for services.
As of September last year, 3,200 people among Macau’s licensed residents with a disability are mentally disabled, including 440 with autism and 410 with dementia.
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