Journals Information
International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice(CEASE PUBLICATION) Vol. 5(4), pp. 157 - 172
DOI: 10.13189/ijrh.2017.050402
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Young People Caring for Their Parents: A Collaborative Study in Japan and Sri Lanka
Koichi Yaguchi 1,*, Varathagowry Vasudevan 2, Koh Miyanaga 1, Mika Tanaka 3, Fumiko Mega 1, Osamu Kobayashi 1, Chiyoko Kodama 4, Masaaki Abe 1, Kazue Kanno 1, Tomoko Kutsuzawa 4, Riddley Jayasinghe 5, Kaluvila M. Y. Karunaratna 5, Wijesinghe M. Danapala 6, Jeyaruban V. R. 5
1 Department of Social Work, School of Health Sciences, Tokai University, Japan
2 Department of Social Work, Director of Social Work, National Institute of Social Development Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka
3 Department of Nursing, Kitasato University, Japan
4 Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Tokai University, Japan
5 Department of Social Work, National Institute of Social Development (Ministry of Social Services) Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka
6 Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Sri Jayewardenapura, Sri Lanka
ABSTRACT
Population aging is a global problem, but its magnitude and manifestation vary across countries. Japan faces the challenge of a super-aged society, whereas Sri Lanka is experiencing rapid demographic transition: a problem in the Asia Pacific region that needs urgent attention. The degree to which young adults provide support for aging parents depends on their awareness/consciousness of older adults, and differs according to social images that influence intergenerational relationships. This quantitative study investigated young adults' opinions and perceptions toward their aging parents and intergenerational activities, and explored their care consciousness and anticipated challenges. Representative samples of 1064 university students from Japan and 600 students from Sri Lanka (aged 20鈥�22 years) completed a self-administered questionnaire. Students who had an attitude of discrimination toward older people also perceived older adults as having a significant amount of experience and knowledge. They believed in traditional forms of caregiving with social support and appeared to have developed values to prepare themselves to face the challenges of population aging. Overall, female students were more concerned about population aging than male students. However, with the aging population increasing, opinions and social values about older adults face dramatic social challenges, despite maintenance of cultural and religious traditions.
KEYWORDS
Consciousness, Attitudes, Aging Society, Frail Aged, University Students
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Koichi Yaguchi , Varathagowry Vasudevan , Koh Miyanaga , Mika Tanaka , Fumiko Mega , Osamu Kobayashi , Chiyoko Kodama , Masaaki Abe , Kazue Kanno , Tomoko Kutsuzawa , Riddley Jayasinghe , Kaluvila M. Y. Karunaratna , Wijesinghe M. Danapala , Jeyaruban V. R. , "Young People Caring for Their Parents: A Collaborative Study in Japan and Sri Lanka," International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice(CEASE PUBLICATION), Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 157 - 172, 2017. DOI: 10.13189/ijrh.2017.050402.
(b). APA Format:
Koichi Yaguchi , Varathagowry Vasudevan , Koh Miyanaga , Mika Tanaka , Fumiko Mega , Osamu Kobayashi , Chiyoko Kodama , Masaaki Abe , Kazue Kanno , Tomoko Kutsuzawa , Riddley Jayasinghe , Kaluvila M. Y. Karunaratna , Wijesinghe M. Danapala , Jeyaruban V. R. (2017). Young People Caring for Their Parents: A Collaborative Study in Japan and Sri Lanka. International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice(CEASE PUBLICATION), 5(4), 157 - 172. DOI: 10.13189/ijrh.2017.050402.