Filial Responsibility and Informal Support among Family Caregivers of the Elderly in Jerusalem: A Path Analysis

Informal family caregivers from a sample of 110 hospitalized elderly Jewish Jerusalemites were queried regarding their perceptions of filial responsibility and the supports they provide their parent(s). A path model was examined in which the outcome variable was a measure of the caregivers' expectations of future support. Background variables considered included sociodemographic variables and religiosity of the caregivers, family problems, proximity to the dependent parent, ADL, and length of dependency of the elderly care recipient. The analysis found future expectations of support to be explained principally by perceptions of filial responsibility, that were in turn explained by religiosity of the caregiver. Current support provided was influenced by proximity to the care recipient, ADL, length of dependency, and perceptions of filial responsibility. The implications of these findings for promotion of informal care are discussed.