A study of the mediating role of coping styles on social support and caregiving burden among family caregivers of older adults with disabilities in China

In the context of global population aging and advanced aging, family care with “warmth of affection” has always been an indispensable form of care that matches the wishes of the majority of older adults with disabilities to enjoy their later life. Caregiving burden is prevalent among family caregivers of older adults with disabilities. This study aims to analyze the direct association between social support and caregiving burden, as well as the indirect pathway mediated by coping styles. The study used a random cluster sampling method to recruit 464 family caregivers of older adults with disabilities in Guangzhou. On-site questionnaires were utilized to gather information about respondents’ social support, caregiving burden, coping styles, and basic demographics. Multiple linear regression and Bootstrap sampling were used to investigate the correlations between the variables. Family caregivers of older adults with disabilities reported a caregiving burden score of 43.47 ± 17.09. Social support and positive coping were negatively associated with caregiving burden, and negative coping was positively associated with caregiving burden. Social support had an indirect influence on caregiving burden through coping styles, with positive coping styles explaining 15.40% of the variance and negative coping styles accounting for 22.61% of the variance. Greater social support was associated with lower caregiving burden, with indirect effect through coping; programs that strengthen social support and adaptive coping may relate to lower burden, pending confirmation in longitudinal studies.