Helping Overcome Pressure and Exhaustion: Empowerment Classes for Southeast Asian Migrant Care Workers

Overview

As Taiwan's population ages, Southeast Asian migrant care workers are widely employed to fill the care labor gap. These workers often face symptoms of burnout and emotional stress due to long working hours and high-pressure environments. This study aims to evaluate the effects of empowerment classes on reducing burnout symptoms and emotional stress among Southeast Asian migrant care workers. The empowerment classes are designed based on expert consensus and cover three core areas: mental health and stress management, dementia care skills, and language and communication skills. The curriculum is tailored to the practical needs and cultural backgrounds of the migrant workers. A total of 120 Indonesian care workers will be randomly assigned to two groups. The first group will undergo a three-month empowerment course, while the second group will initially participate in social gatherings. Afterward, the groups will switch interventions. The study will last for 12 months, and each participant will complete seven assessments, including heart rate variability measurements and online questionnaires. The questionnaires will include the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), the Life and Cultural Adaptation Questionnaire, and the Language Proficiency Questionnaire. The study anticipates that the empowerment classes will reduce burnout symptoms and emotional stress, while enhancing cultural adaptation and language proficiency among migrant care workers.

Study Design: The study employs a randomized crossover design involving 120 Indonesian care workers in Taiwan. Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups. The first group will undergo a three-month empowerment course initially, while the second group will participate in social gatherings. After three months, the interventions will be switched between the groups. The empowerment classes will cover three core areas: mental health and stress management, dementia care skills, and language and communication skills, tailored to the workers' practical needs and cultural backgrounds. Duration: The study will last for 12 months, starting from July 26, 2024, to July 25, 2025. Data Collection: Participants will complete seven assessments, including heart rate variability measurements and online questionnaires. The questionnaires will include the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), the Life and Cultural Adaptation Questionnaire, and the Language Proficiency Questionnaire. Expected Outcomes: The study anticipates that the empowerment classes will reduce burnout symptoms and emotional stress, while enhancing cultural adaptation and language proficiency among migrant care workers. Ethical Considerations: Participation in this study is voluntary, and participants can withdraw at any time without negative consequences. All personal data will be kept confidential and used solely for research purposes.