Engelsk titel: Obligation or love? Adult children caring for elderly parents
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Författare:
Nergård, Trude Brita
Email: trudebrita.nergard@gmail.com
Språk: Nor
Antal referenser: 45
Dokumenttyp:
Artikel
UI-nummer: 15123846
Sammanfattning
The article is based on a qualitative study. The aim was to examine: (1) the amount of assistance
that ethnic Norwegians’ «adult children» provide for their parents, (2) what type of assistance they
provide, and (3) their motivation for assisting. Thirty-two persons in their 40s, an equal number of
men and women, were interviewed. The analysis is organized as thematic narratives around the
three main questions. The results show that the interviewees are positive toward providing
assistance to their parents, and also do so. When the need increases, so does the effort to assist.
The help provided is mainly practical and tends to be given sporadically rather than regularly. No
one assists their parents with personal care, and hardly anyone is willing to do so, even if the need
for such help should arise in the future.
The motivation for assisting parents is compassion and the wish to respond to what they have
received through their upbringing. The feeling of obligation is also important. When love is not
sufficient as motivation, it is this obligation the informants fall back on.