Conceptualizing Care: US and Finnish Caregivers’ Reflections on Caregiving within the Family

Abstract

The present study investigated how 45 US (N = 25) and Finnish (N = 20) familial caregivers of children conceptualized care within the family. Thematic analysis across the 12 focus groups revealed three main themes, including one that explored the culturally shared ideas of care as “Care as meeting a list of present and future needs,” and two themes that were specifically grounded on the participants’ experiences within their own sociohistorical and cultural context: the US theme of “It’s not easy at all” and the Finnish theme of “The evolution of care.” This study’s findings highlight the culturally situated nature of conceptualizing care and provide evidence of the importance of society in supporting caregivers in their conceptualization and practice of care within the family. Future research should investigate how care is not only conceptualized, but also taught and learned across the lifespan, unraveling the processes that influence how care is understood and practiced.