Table 1_Stress and coping among dual caregivers in China: a grounded theory study of intergenerational caregiving.docx

Objectives<p>To examine how adults who simultaneously care for older adults and children aged 0–6 years experience competing demands, mobilize resources, and negotiate caregiving decisions in two Chinese cities.</p>Methods<p>We conducted a qualitative grounded theory study with 23 dual caregivers in Shanghai and Xi’an. Participants were recruited from an online questionnaire pool and interviewed using a semi-structured guide.

Interview transcripts were analyzed through constant comparison and iterative coding.</p>Results<p>The analysis generated a feedback process linking continuous and competing care demands, secondary strains, conditional resources, and negotiated outcomes. Overlapping, urgent, and difficult-to-substitute tasks extended strain into work, finances, psychological wellbeing, and family relationships. Family help, formal and market services, and self-regulation widened caregivers’ room for action only when they were accessible, reliable, affordable, and matched to specific tasks.