Home › Research › Caregiving
Caring in the Shadows: The Lived Experiences of family Caregivers of Older Adults with Dementia in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Setting in Ethiopia
Hailu GN, Caroline WP, Tavares GdO, Silva PAdS, Tesfay ZA, Nascimento IVLd, Silva CJdA, Arantes SL et al.. Research Square, 2026-07-20
Topic: Health services, long-term care and technology
Background Family caregiving for older adults with dementia is a complex and demanding role, particularly in low-resource settings. In Ethiopia, limited formal care services, strong cultural expectations, and the lingering effects of conflict place primary responsibility on family members, often without adequate preparation or support. Despite this, there is little empirical evidence on caregivers lived experiences in such contexts. Aim This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of family caregivers of older adults with dementia in conflict affecting setting in Ethiopia. Methods A qualitative phenomenological design was employed to explore the lived experiences of family caregivers of older adults with dementia in Northern Ethiopia between August 2025 and June 2026. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 25 participants. Results Four main themes with corresponding sub-themes emerged : (1) The lived embodiment of caregiving responsibility (Transition into the Caregiving Role; Daily Caregiving Routines and Responsibilities; Role Changes and Personal Sacrifices; Disruption of Personal Life Trajectory); (2) The burden of prolonged caregiving (Physical Exhaustion and Health Strain; Financial Hardship and Economic Pressure; Social Isolation and Restricted Life); (3) Caregiving under post-conflict precarity; and (4) Meaning-Making and Identity Transformation. Conclusion Caregiving for older adults with dementia in Northern Ethiopia is a totalizing and demanding experience that profoundly affects caregivers’ lives. The conflict context further intensifies these challenges, compounding existing social, emotional, and economic burdens. The findings underscore the urgent need for culturally sensitive support systems, caregiver education, and contextually relevant policy interventions to reduce caregiver burden and enhance overall well-being.
Key findings
- Results Four main themes with corresponding sub-themes emerged : (1) The lived embodiment of caregiving responsibility (Transition into the Caregiving Role; Daily Caregiving Routines and Responsibilities; Role Changes and Personal Sacrifices; Disruption of Personal Life Trajectory); (2) The burden of prolonged caregiving (Physical Exhaustion and Health Strain; Financial Hardship and Economic Pressure; Social Isolation and Restricted Life); (3) Caregiving under post-conflict precarity; and (4) Meaning-Making and Identity Transformation.
- The findings underscore the urgent need for culturally sensitive support systems, caregiver education, and contextually relevant policy interventions to reduce caregiver burden and enhance overall well-being.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Caregiving →
Study details
- Participants25
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 16/100
Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. It scored 27 on the same rubric, but non-peer-reviewed sources are capped at 16, so it shows as 16. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 17 of the 62 points we could judge it on, which is 27 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 2 / 10 | Tier 4 — not a peer-reviewed journal (Research Square) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Not a journal article, so the journal's record does not count |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 4 / 10 | Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. Hosted on a preprint server. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 25 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 17 / 62 | Scored on 12 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 17 of the 62 points we could judge it on is 27 out of 100. |
| Total | 27 / 100 | Capped to 16 because this is not a peer-reviewed article. |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Free copy unknown: no free-copy check has an answer for this record yet. That does not mean it is paywalled.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Hailu, G. N., Caroline, W. P., GdO, T., PAdS, S., Tesfay, Z. A., IVLd, N., et al. (2026). Caring in the Shadows: The Lived Experiences of family Caregivers of Older Adults with Dementia in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Setting in Ethiopia. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10317363/v1
Vancouver
Hailu GN, Caroline WP, GdO T, PAdS S, Tesfay ZA, IVLd N, et al. Caring in the Shadows: The Lived Experiences of family Caregivers of Older Adults with Dementia in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Setting in Ethiopia. Research Square. 2026. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-10317363/v1.
BibTeX
@article{hailu2026-98c647e6,
author = {Hailu, G. N. and Caroline, W. P. and GdO, Tavares and PAdS, Silva and Tesfay, Z. A. and IVLd, Nascimento and CJdA, Silva and Arantes, S. L. and others},
title = {{Caring in the Shadows: The Lived Experiences of family Caregivers of Older Adults with Dementia in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Setting in Ethiopia}},
journal = {Research Square},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.21203/rs.3.rs-10317363/v1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10317363/v1}
}
Related studies in Caregiving
Also tagged “caregiver”
195 studies in the library carry the topic tag “caregiver”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 195 tagged studies.