Abstract:Background: Indonesian migrant domestic workers (IMDWs) play a vital role in the care of older adults across Asia, yet they are subject to extended working hours, restricted autonomy, and social isolation. These challenges have been shown to have a detrimental effect on their mental health and wellbeing. However, the extent of this impact remains underexplored, thus highlighting the need for further research in order to inform the provision of more effective support and policies. Objective: The present study aims to examine the mental health and wellbeing of IMDWs who care for older adults in Asian countries, as their contribution is rarely recognised. Materials and Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted with 872 IMDWs in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan (August-December 2022). The survey examined the caregiving impact, depressive and anxiety symptoms, loneliness, perceived social support, perceived control and autonomy, caring self-efficacy, and resiliency among participants. Descriptive analyses were performed in addition to inferential tests in order to examine the association between variables. Results: The average participant age was 36.8 years, with a mean workday of 14.2 hours half spent on elderly care. Most (96%) lived in their employers’ homes, but only 59% had private bedrooms. The majority reported a medium caregiving impact. Between 60.2% and 78.6% experienced varying levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Participants also reported moderate levels of perceived loneliness, social support, control, autonomy, and caregiving self-efficacy. Overall, the findings suggest that while participants face significant mental health challenges, they maintain moderate resilience and coping abilities in their caregiving roles. Conclusion: This study underscores the challenges encountered by IMDWs in providing care for older adults in Asia. This underscores the necessity of identifying and addressing these issues to promote optimal outcomes.
Keywords: Migration and Health, Indonesian migrant domestic workers, Mental health, Wellbeing, Older adult care, Asia
