The experiences of Taiwanese women caring for parents-in-law

Using grounded theory, semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the experiences of Taiwanese women who were caregivers for their p arents-in-law. Thirty-one Taiwanese women aged 23-58 participated in this s tudy. 'Just doing' emerged as the core category and reflected the Taiwanese women caregivers' process of striving to continue to fulfil the demands of their role during the period of commitment to their parents-in-law's care. The related categories surrounding the core category in the paradigm for t his study include: being called, caring for, holding up, keeping harmony, a nd maintaining filial piety. 'Being called' reflected the reasons that thes e women became caregivers to their parents-in-law under circumstances heavi ly influenced by cultural expectations. 'Caring for' provided the context f or activities involved in providing daily comfort, keeping watch and seekin g assistance when necessary. The category of 'holding up' reflected the car egiver's interpretation of her duty, the extent of the difficulties she exp erienced and her responses to those difficulties. A philosophy of life, whi ch strongly emphasizes 'keeping harmony' influenced how the caregiver inter preted her caregiving role and her ability to ask for assistance or more re sources to overcome difficulties posed by the situation. Maintaining filial piety was identified as a primary duty, a lifelong commitment and a desire d outcome. However, striving to achieve this outcome resulted in differing caregiver perceptions, ranging from serenity to personal self-sacrifice. Th e findings clearly suggested that caregiving behaviours were influenced by cultural expectations when the parent-in-law was ill. This study of Taiwane se women caregivers' experiences may be beneficial in facilitating the deve lopment of a comprehensive policy for long-term care as well as suggesting possible intervention strategies for individual and family care. Recommenda tions for future research focus on cultural determinants of caregiving role s and coping strategies.