Role of Religious/Spiritual Beliefs and Practices Among Latino Family Caregivers of Mexican Descent

To obtain a more nuanced, emic look at the practice, role, and perceived benefits of religion/spirituality among Latino caregivers than has been possible with forced-choice measures, we posed an open-ended survey question to informal caregivers of Mexican descent. Fifty-eight caregivers described how their spiritual beliefs and practices have been important or meaningful in their role as a caregiver. Inductive thematic analyses conducted by a bilingual-bicultural coder (and confirmed by a secondary coder) yielded six thematic categories (e.g., Methods of Religious or Spiritual Practice, Timing of Practices, Beliefs/Spiritual Perspective as Related to Providing Care, How Religious/Spiritual Beliefs and Practices Help Caregiving). Findings clarify why religious/spiritual involvement seems to have a consistently beneficial effect for Latino caregivers. For example, interviews revealed a reliance on positive forms of religious coping; emphasis on personal engagement and private practice; incorporation of religiosity/spirituality into the daily stream of life; perceived connection of religion/spirituality to family; and experience of close attachment to God, some other divine being, or an affirming spiritual order. We discuss implications for Latino caregiver well-being, interventions, and research.