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Societal Narratives on Caregivers in Asia

Author

Listed:
  • Reuben Ng

    (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119260, Singapore
    Lloyd’s Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119260, Singapore)

  • Nicole Indran

    (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119260, Singapore)

Abstract

Although there has been an increase in awareness of the struggles experienced by caregivers, discourse on caregiving remains confined mostly to academia, policy circles or the family unit. There have been suggestions that public discourse on informal caregiving dwells overwhelmingly on the outsize toll it takes on the health of caregivers. However, few studies have examined societal narratives on caregivers—a gap our study aims to fill. We leveraged an online media database of 12 billion words collated from over 30 million articles to explore societal narratives on caregivers in six Asian countries. Computational linguistics and statistical analysis were applied to study the content of narratives on caregivers. The prevalence of societal narratives on caregivers was highest in Singapore—five times higher than Sri Lanka, which evidenced the lowest prevalence. Findings reveal that the inadequacies of institutional care as well as the need to train and empower caregivers are pressing issues that need to be prioritized on the policy agenda in Asia. Of broader significance, the diverse capabilities across Asia present opportunities for cross-country learning and capacity-building.

Suggested Citation

  • Reuben Ng & Nicole Indran, 2021. "Societal Narratives on Caregivers in Asia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-15, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:21:p:11241-:d:665106
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Reuben Ng & Heather G. Allore & Becca R. Levy, 2020. "Self-Acceptance and Interdependence Promote Longevity: Evidence From a 20-year Prospective Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-15, August.
    2. McPherson, Christine J. & Wilson, Keith G. & Murray, Mary Ann, 2007. "Feeling like a burden: Exploring the perspectives of patients at the end of life," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 417-427, January.
    3. Reuben Ng & Becca Levy, 2018. "Pettiness: Conceptualization, measurement and cross-cultural differences," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, January.
    4. Reuben Ng, 2018. "Cloud Computing in Singapore: Key Drivers and Recommendations for a Smart Nation," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(4), pages 39-47.
    5. Reuben Ng & Si Qi Lim & Su Ying Saw & Kelvin Bryan Tan, 2020. "40-Year Projections of Disability and Social Isolation of Older Adults for Long-Range Policy Planning in Singapore," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-8, July.
    6. Sarah Giest & Reuben Ng, 2018. "Big Data Applications in Governance and Policy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(4), pages 1-4.
    7. Reuben Ng & Kelvin Bryan Tan, 2021. "Implementing an Individual-Centric Discharge Process across Singapore Public Hospitals," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-7, August.
    8. Reuben Ng & Yi Wen Tan, 2021. "Diversity of COVID-19 News Media Coverage across 17 Countries: The Influence of Cultural Values, Government Stringency and Pandemic Severity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-9, November.
    9. Reuben Ng, 2021. "Societal Age Stereotypes in the U.S. and U.K. from a Media Database of 1.1 Billion Words," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-10, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Esther Yin Hui Chew & Zhi Lei Ong & George Frederick Glass & Ee-Yuee Chan, 2022. "‘24/7’ Caregiving: A Qualitative Analysis of an Emerging Phenomenon of Interest in Caregiving," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-8, December.

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