Research
Research
Fei Yue firmly believes in the importance of using data to improve the quality and effectiveness of our services. The research department supports the agency’s programmes and services, through evaluations, implementation research, feasibility studies, needs assessment, ground sensing, and primary and secondary research. We also support programme development in terms of writing Theory of Change (TOC), design thinking and evidence synthesis.
Research Requests
For research requests, please provide us with some information via this link. If you need more information, please email us at [email protected]. We will get back to you again shortly.
Our Past Projects
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Men Do Care: Experiences of Male Caregivers of Persons with Dementia (2023)
Male caregivers are traditionally underrepresented in caregiver studies; therefore, this qualitative study seeks to understand the caregiving experiences of male caregivers of persons with dementia. Thirty men (32 to 87 years; 27 Chinese, 2 Malays, 1 Indian) who were caregivers to their spouses, parents, relatives, or friends with dementia were interviewed. Face-to-face or online Interviews were conducted. Issues discussed in the interviews included the transition to caregiving, challenges of caregiving, caregiving stress and coping, the impact of COVID-19 on caregiving, and positive caregiving experiences. A focus group discussion was conducted with six community mental health practitioners to understand male caregivers’ help-seeking behaviour.
Participants’ journey into caregiving can be viewed as three broad phases. During the Awareness phase, participants’ lack of dementia-related knowledge resulted in early signs of dementia going undetected. Next came the Adjustment phase, which consisted of behaviours that reflected the gradual formation of the caregiver identity. In the Adaptation phase, participants have generally settled into their caregiving roles and routines. This was with the help of various forms of support. Those who could afford it hired domestic helpers. Others utilised formal support. The impact of caregiving on the caregiver is wide-ranging, spanning from physical, psychological, and social to financial burdens. Participants cope with the stress of caregiving by practising their religious faiths, exercising, and/or cognitive strategies like acceptance of the situation. Caregiving also had positive impacts. Some participants reported positive changes in personality, such as becoming more patient; some described better relationships with their family members, while there were participants who became involved in advocacy work for caregivers. Finally, compared to female caregivers, male caregivers seemed more likely to assume a supervision and decision-making role rather than engaging themselves in the day-to-day care tasks. Male caregivers also sought more instrumental support from formal support providers compared to female caregivers who might seek emotional support as well.
A recording of the presentation at the NUS SSR Seminar can be found here.