Relationship between filial obligation and caregiver depression among adult children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Yuqin Pan, Ruyi Chen, Dongliang Yang
PMID 36732643WHAT IT FOUND
The link between feeling a stronger duty to parents and caregiver depression was not consistent: three studies found more symptoms, but two studies that compared scores directly did not.
Performing duties was linked to fewer symptoms only in Chinese samples.
Key findings
01Three studies using adjusted estimates (N = 394) found that stronger perceived filial obligation was significantly associated with more depressive symptoms among adult child caregivers across cultures.
02Two studies using correlations (N = 880) found no significant relationship between perceived filial obligation and caregiver depression among predominantly Caucasian and mixed-blood caregivers.
03Two studies of Chinese adult children supported the idea that performing more filial obligations was generally associated with less depression, although one study's significance did not persist after adjustment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review included only six studies, and only four were used in the meta-analysis groups, so the evidence base is small. All studies were cross-sectional, so they cannot show that filial obligation causes caregiver depression. The perception findings were inconsistent: three adjusted studies found a significant association, but two correlation studies did not. Filial obligation was measured with different culture-specific tools, and some tools had modest reliability, so the studies may not have measured the same thing. The performance finding came from only two Chinese studies, so it cannot be generalised to other cultures. The included samples were convenience-based and not representative, and the studies adjusted for different sets of variables. The review did not test any intervention, so it cannot tell clinicians whether changing filial obligation or supporting caregivers reduces depression.
Declared interests
This work was supported in part by JinHua Polytechnic. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that filial obligation causes caregiver depression or that supporting filial duties will reduce depression. The included studies were cross-sectional and inconsistent: the significant finding came from three adjusted studies, while two correlation studies found no significant relationship, and the performance finding came from only two Chinese studies.