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Summary <p>The emotional experience of informal caregiving is considerable and complex, consisting of tensions internally and with the care recipient, and exacerbated by pressures to adopt the caregiver role without complaint or assistance. Our findings demonstrate the need to develop policies to relieve distress for caregivers of fragility fracture patients.</p> Purpose <p>Informal caregiving can have considerable physical and psychosocial consequences, with the emotional strain of caregiving considered most distressing. Few studies have examined the emotional experience of caregiving for individuals with a fragility fracture or the contextual factors that may influence this experience. We aimed to explore the experience of caring for someone after a fragility fracture to understand the nuances of the emotional experience and identify ways to better support informal caregivers in the future.</p> Methods <p>We used a phenomenological approach to examine caregivers’ experiences. We recruited primary caregivers of patients discharged from a rehabilitation hospital following a fragility fracture. We conducted individual interviews with caregivers and analyzed the data phenomenologically to describe the structure of caregivers’ emotional experiences and illuminate potential influencing factors.</p> Results <p>We interviewed 32 caregivers (19 females, 13 males; 37–95&#xa0;years old). We found that the emotional experience of caregiving was complex, consisting of tensions internally and with care recipients, and exacerbated by multiple pressures to adopt the caregiver role. As a result of these pressures, caregivers often felt reluctant to voice displeasure or ask for help, exacerbating their burden and reinforcing a sense that they must suffer in silence.</p> Conclusion <p>Our study demonstrates the multifaceted nature of caregivers’ emotional burden and highlights the pressures felt by&#xa0;caregivers of fragility fracture patients to take on caregiving roles without complaint or assistance. Our findings highlight the need to acknowledge the emotional complexity of caregiving, empower caregivers to ask for help, and develop meaningful supports and policies to alleviate caregiver burden.</p>

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“Don’t tell me I’m going to feel joy”: The emotional burden of informal caregivers of patients with a fragility fracture discharged from a rehabilitation hospital

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月21日

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  • Kathryn Hodwitz,
  • Mohamed El-Hussein,
  • Jill I. Cameron,
  • Lynn M. Meadows,
  • Jennifer Watt,
  • Maureen Ashe,
  • Jenna Phan,
  • Fariba Aghajafari,
  • Larry Funnell,
  • Ashley Verduyn,
  • Joanna E. M. Sale

摘要

Summary

The emotional experience of informal caregiving is considerable and complex, consisting of tensions internally and with the care recipient, and exacerbated by pressures to adopt the caregiver role without complaint or assistance. Our findings demonstrate the need to develop policies to relieve distress for caregivers of fragility fracture patients.

Purpose

Informal caregiving can have considerable physical and psychosocial consequences, with the emotional strain of caregiving considered most distressing. Few studies have examined the emotional experience of caregiving for individuals with a fragility fracture or the contextual factors that may influence this experience. We aimed to explore the experience of caring for someone after a fragility fracture to understand the nuances of the emotional experience and identify ways to better support informal caregivers in the future.

Methods

We used a phenomenological approach to examine caregivers’ experiences. We recruited primary caregivers of patients discharged from a rehabilitation hospital following a fragility fracture. We conducted individual interviews with caregivers and analyzed the data phenomenologically to describe the structure of caregivers’ emotional experiences and illuminate potential influencing factors.

Results

We interviewed 32 caregivers (19 females, 13 males; 37–95 years old). We found that the emotional experience of caregiving was complex, consisting of tensions internally and with care recipients, and exacerbated by multiple pressures to adopt the caregiver role. As a result of these pressures, caregivers often felt reluctant to voice displeasure or ask for help, exacerbating their burden and reinforcing a sense that they must suffer in silence.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates the multifaceted nature of caregivers’ emotional burden and highlights the pressures felt by caregivers of fragility fracture patients to take on caregiving roles without complaint or assistance. Our findings highlight the need to acknowledge the emotional complexity of caregiving, empower caregivers to ask for help, and develop meaningful supports and policies to alleviate caregiver burden.