Effect of self-compassion on secondary caregivers' quality of life : the role of resilience, caregiver stress & length of illness

Abstract

Despite their distinctive features from general informal caregivers and their crucial roles in the caregiving system and society, limited research has been conducted on secondary caregivers, particularly in the context of Hong Kong. This study aims to address this research gap by conducting a cross-sectional survey in Hong Kong from March to May 2024 to examine the relationship between self-compassion and quality of life of secondary caregivers. Specifically, the study will explore the mediating effects of resilience and caregiver stress, with the length of illness or disability of the care recipient as the moderator variable. The study included 80 secondary caregivers, and data were collected using self-report questionnaires measuring self-compassion, quality of life, resilience, and caregiver stress. The results of simple linear regression indicate that self-compassion significantly predicts improved quality of life of secondary caregivers, and this relationship was fully mediated by resilience and caregiver stress. Unexpectedly, the length of illness or disability did not moderate the relationship between self-compassion and quality of life of secondary caregivers. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at enhancing self-compassion may be beneficial for improving the quality of life of secondary caregivers regardless of the length of illness or disability.