Kontakt 2010, 12(4):435-445 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2010.057

Searching for model of taking care of non-self-sufficient family membersHealth and Social Sciences

Romana Benešová

Fakulta sociálních věd, Institut sociologických studií, Praha

Given the demographic aging of the population, the theme of taking the family care of seniors becomes an ever more important problem of the research in sociology. In accordance with this, the target of the study is searching for methods and principles of helping family members within the family. The article is based on a sociological research, which inter alia studied the measure of the financial help granted, emotional support and support through taking care of non-self-sufficient family members between generations. In attempts to reveal principles of the inter-generation care, three theories were tested as follows: the reciprocal theory, the theory of obligation and the theory of attachment. The author used an analysis of quantitative data from an inquiry examination for their corroboration or refusal. Four hundred and eleven persons who intensively took care of senior family members and 203 respondents having no experience with the family care were inquired. In a questionnaire, the respondents reported the transfer of help between them and their children similarly as between them and their parents. Thus, the data offer an insight into the situation of help within families over three generations.
In the article, basic theoretical concepts and methods of the work are first described. After that, there is a description of findings concerning the magnitude of the help granted in families and a subchapter dealing with effects of selected attitudes. Thereafter, the author tries to find a model of taking care of family members. The purpose of the work is to show what types and methods of the help in the family exert mutual interactions.
The author conclusively supports the capacity of the theory of the obligation, which can most properly explain taking care of seniors in families. On the other hand, a new hypothesis was also found concerning contextual reasons for the inter-generation solidarity. Whereas in the families taking the care, the theory of the obligation can be most appropriately implemented, in families which do not take a care of seniors it seems that certain aspects of the attachment theory of the family solidarity are prevalent.

Keywords: aging; family care; family solidarity; inter-generation relationships

Received: July 14, 2010; Accepted: November 17, 2010; Published: December 22, 2010  Show citation