A Qualitative Exploration of Job Stress and Coping Strategies Among Male Caregivers in Long-Term Care Settings

With the rapid shift to an aged society in Korea, the number of caregivers in long-term care institutions has also been increasing. In this caregiving field, dominated by women, there has been a recent shift in its demographic composition. For example, in 2020, the number of male caregivers providing long-term care services were 24,538, but by 2024 it had increased to 42,672, a 73% rise. While existing studies have largely focused on female caregivers (e.g., Adelman et al., 2014), there is still very limited information on the experiences of male caregivers. Male caregivers face different social expectation and coping strategies (Lloyd et al., 2016) in the profession, which have little attention in long-term care settings. The purpose of this study is to examine the job stress and coping strategies of caregivers in long-term care institutions, with particular attention paid to understanding of their unique challenges compared to female caregivers.

A qualitative case study was employed to examine the stress and coping strategies in long-term care settings. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit eight male caregivers with over one year of work experiences in long-term care settings in Seoul, South Korea. In-depth interviews conducted in 2024 were analyzed through individual and cross-case analysis to identify common themes. To ensure the credibility of the data, two researchers independently reviewed the results, and comparisons were also made with AI using ChatGPT.

The results show that male caregivers experience job stressors due to “lack of professional recognition,” “gender-related job insecurity,” “difficulties in caregiving tasks,” “challenges in coworker relationship,” and “insufficient organizational support.” Unlike previous studies that mainly focused on female caregivers, male caregivers experiences gender-specific stresses due to societal expectations and demands of caregiving. The coping strategies mainly used by male caregivers were also different from those of female caregivers. They predominantly used problem-focused coping strategies, such as “emphasizing professional identity”, “focusing on their job-related strengths”, and “making pragmatic efforts to overcome economic hardships”. These strategies were distinct from those commonly observed in female caregivers, who mainly used emotion-based coping strategies.

A notable finding from this study was that male caregivers viewed their gender as both a stressor and a source of resilience. Specifically, the some physical tasks assigned to them, such as providing assistance in lifting, were seen as gender-specific male roles , which often been considered contributing factors of job stress in previous studies. However, some male caregivers embraced these tasks, seeing them as opportunities to gain recognition within the workplace. This coping strategy was unique to male caregivers and was not as prevalent among female caregivers. This finding highlights complex interplay between gender roles and caregiving responsibilities.

This study emphasizes the importance of understanding gender-specific challenges to improve the well-being and retention of male caregivers in long-term care settings. Based on the results, this study recommends tailored support programs that address the physical and emotional demands specific to male caregivers, along with organizational changes to foster peer support and recognition.