An ethics based on fatigue? Problematisations of family carers’ abuse in violence prevention discourse in the Finnish media

As a large share of long-term care occurs at home, there is a need to respond to abuse by family carers in policy and research. Drawing on social constructionism, this article examines how such abuse is problematised in Finnish third-sector violence prevention discourse, which highlights fatigue as a central underlying cause of abuse. The findings show that fatigue-induced carer abuse is problematised in three ways: (1) as a problem of individual carers who, with limited emotional skills, face overwhelming circumstances; (2) as a cultural issue shaped by gendered expectations of care and aggression; and (3) as a failure of the welfare state to provide long-term care. The response suggested by such problematisations is constrained by its focus on fatigue, thereby excluding other dynamics, such as intimate partner violence. Nevertheless, this perspective can complement the dominant clinical approach by acknowledging the ambivalences of care and the ways in which abuse is connected to culture and long-term care systems.