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Project Report

Caregiver Employees’ Mental Well-Being in Hong Kong

The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Central Avenue, Hong Kong, China
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Healthcare 2024, 12(10), 1013; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12101013
Submission received: 7 April 2024 / Revised: 1 May 2024 / Accepted: 11 May 2024 / Published: 14 May 2024

Abstract

Background: The rapidly aging global population has increased the demand for caregivers. Many caregivers simultaneously engage in paid employment, and the dual role makes the needs of caregiver employees conceivably more remarkable. However, there is a gap in the literature about the specific needs of caregiver employees. Method: Caregiver employees (n = 1205) across Hong Kong caring for those ≥65 years were recruited for a cross-sectional face-to-face survey from December 2021 to January 2022, to evaluate mental well-being measured by the Short Warwick –Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted; significant variables (p < 0.05) were included in multiple linear regression, along with caregiver-friendly workplace policies’ availability, to understand their association with their mental well-being. Findings: The mean score of the Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale among caregiver employees in this study was 24.9, with 7.2% indicative of probable clinical depression and 10.0% possible mild depression. In addition, the current study showed that 30.2% of the caregiver employees felt distressed about the caregiving role. Among external factors, family support (measured by the Lubben Social Network Scale) and workplace culture (measured by the Marshall Supervision Subscale) positively correlated with mental well-being with regression coefficients of 0.252 (p < 0.001) and 0.482 (p < 0.001), respectively. In the fully adjusted model, a negative regression coefficient was observed for overall spillover (−0.050, p < 0.001) and Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale scores, while positive regression coefficients were observed for overall self-rate (0.041, p < 0.001), Lubben (0.124, p < 0.001), and corporate culture (0.365, p < 0.001). Better Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale scores were observed when caregiver-friendly workplace policies were clearly stated than when they were made on a case-by-case discretionary basis. Conclusions: Caregiver-friendly workplace policies may be critical to Hong Kong’s sustainable future, both economically and socially, as they ensure a healthy and productive workforce to support an aging population.
Keywords: caregiver; aging; workplace; policies; spillover; role theory caregiver; aging; workplace; policies; spillover; role theory

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MDPI and ACS Style

Lee, M.M.-S.; Yeoh, E.-K.; Wang, K.; Wong, E.L.-Y. Caregiver Employees’ Mental Well-Being in Hong Kong. Healthcare 2024, 12, 1013. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12101013

AMA Style

Lee MM-S, Yeoh E-K, Wang K, Wong EL-Y. Caregiver Employees’ Mental Well-Being in Hong Kong. Healthcare. 2024; 12(10):1013. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12101013

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lee, Maggie Man-Sin, Eng-Kiong Yeoh, Kailu Wang, and Eliza Lai-Yi Wong. 2024. "Caregiver Employees’ Mental Well-Being in Hong Kong" Healthcare 12, no. 10: 1013. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12101013

APA Style

Lee, M. M.-S., Yeoh, E.-K., Wang, K., & Wong, E. L.-Y. (2024). Caregiver Employees’ Mental Well-Being in Hong Kong. Healthcare, 12(10), 1013. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12101013

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