Emotional Support Provided by Family Members to Old Age People in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (A Case Study of Swabi)

Abstract

Background: As the aged population is increasing globally, the aged population of Pakistan is also on the rise. This situation has posed many problems for the aged population. These problems range from a series of physical problems, economic issues, and social challenges to mental disturbance.Emotional support has been known as a protective factor for the well-being of older people, but lack of emotional support opposed negative effects on the health and well-being of the older population of society. This ethnographic study points out the emotional support of family members and the expectations of older people from their family members. The paper also demonstrates the strength of social and economic needs in old age. Methodology: A qualitative methodology, with a thick descriptive explanatory design, was adopted for the study. A non-probability sampling technique was adopted and then focused on a stratified technique in which different strata were made of females, males, and their economic conditions. The methodology approached the older people and their children for the data collection. Structured and semi-structured interviews were conducted along with field notes which in data analysis. Content analysis was done to extract the themes and comprehend the data. Results: The data analysis revealed the major four categories of the older population: the parents who are living with their children and are financially independent but need emotional support, the parents who are living with their children but need financial and emotional support, parents who are not living with their parents but are financially independent but need emotional support and those parents who are not living with their kids but need both emotional and financial support. The analysis discovered that parents experienced a lack of emotional and financial support from their children. It also emphasized that the migration of the children for employment opportunities and better career options, and thenon-serious behavior of the children left the parents helpless. The data also uncovered the challenges the issues, older population faced due to unmet emotional and financial needs. Conclusion: The study findings point out the need for further investigation of the identified area through qualitative or quantitative research methodology. The study also concluded that it is not clear that which factor is more important like emotional or financial, but it is circumstantial, it depends on what kind of circumstances the older people are in.