Market scope note: This article draws on both Korean and U.S. sources. Each piece of information is labeled 🇰🇷 Korea or 🇺🇸 U.S. in the text to indicate which country it applies to.
When a parent's health begins to decline, a subtle tension takes hold in a caregiver's heart. "Will they be okay tonight?" "Is there something I've overlooked?" "What if things get worse?" These thoughts seem to fade during the day, only to come flooding back at night. This is caregiver anxiety. It feels somewhat different from burnout or depression, but left unaddressed, it quietly wears away at both body and mind.
🇺🇸 U.S. According to an umbrella review meta-analysis of informal family caregivers published on ScienceDirect in 2025, the median prevalence of anxiety among caregivers was approximately 35%, and nearly one in two caregivers was found to experience caregiver burden. 🇺🇸 U.S. An AARP survey found that half of family caregivers (50%) reported that caregiving had increased their emotional stress, and female caregivers tended to experience higher levels of anxiety and stress than male caregivers.
🇰🇷 Korea According to the 2024 National Mental Health Knowledge and Attitudes Survey published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Center for Mental Health, the proportion of respondents reporting serious stress rose sharply from 36.0% in 2022 to 46.3% in 2024, and the proportion reporting persistent low mood lasting several days increased from 30.0% to 40.2% over the same period. Although these figures cover the general population as a whole, multiple studies consistently point out that taking on a family caregiving role compounds that burden further. 🇰🇷 Korea A study published in an academic journal by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs found that family caregiving burden is directly linked to depression, and that the effect is greater when social support is lacking.
There are several common patterns behind escalating anxiety. The first is fear of an uncontrollable future. No one can know when or how a parent's condition will change, and that uncertainty itself is the seed of anxiety. The second is information overload. An endless stream of recommendations pours in about beneficial foods, exercises, medications, and care facilities, making it hard to know what is actually right. The third is blurred role boundaries. Juggling the overlapping identities of adult child, caregiver, and working professional creates relentless internal pressure around the question, "What should I be doing best right now?"
So how can caregivers manage their anxiety? One direction consistently pointed to by research is mindfulness-based approaches. 🇺🇸 U.S. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials published in 2024 confirmed that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) significantly reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and caregiving burden among family caregivers of people with chronic illness. Reports suggest that even 10 to 15 minutes a day of breathing meditation or body-scan practice can be effective, and mindfulness programs delivered through smartphone apps are also seeing growing use.
Beyond mindfulness, there are other practical strategies that help. First, it is important to identify your anxiety triggers. Recognizing patterns — such as "I feel more anxious before a hospital appointment" or "Watching the news after 10 p.m. keeps me from sleeping" — makes it possible to prepare in advance. Putting feelings into words is also helpful. Whether with family or in a caregiver support group, simply sharing what you are going through reduces isolation and eases anxiety. 🇺🇸 U.S. Researchers report that emotion-focused coping strategies — such as acceptance, seeking emotional support, and positive reframing — are effective in reducing levels of depression and anxiety among caregivers.
🇰🇷 Korea On the institutional side, caregivers can draw on family caregiver support services within the 노인장기요양보험 (Long-Term Care Insurance for the Elderly), as well as the 긴급돌봄 (Emergency Care) service, which was expanded to cover the entire population beginning in 2024. 긴급돌봄 is a program that temporarily fills care gaps — through home visits by care workers, for example — when a caregiver falls ill or faces an unavoidable situation; costs are applied on a sliding scale according to income level. 🇺🇸 U.S. In the United States, caregivers can access respite care referrals, emotional support groups, and counseling services free of charge or at low cost through AARP's family caregiver support programs or their local Area Agency on Aging (AAA).
Sources: ScienceDirect — Prevalence of depression, anxiety, burden, burnout, and stress in informal caregivers: An umbrella review of meta-analyses (2025); AARP — Caregiver Stress Takes a Toll on Mental Health (2023); Ministry of Health and Welfare and National Center for Mental Health — 2024 National Mental Health Knowledge and Attitudes Survey; Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs academic journal — The Effect of Social Support in Middle and Old Age on the Relationship Between Family Caregiving Burden and Depression (2024); Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing — The effect of mindfulness-based interventions on caregiver burden (2024); Ministry of Health and Welfare — 긴급돌봄 Service Guide (2024); AARP Caregiver Resource Center.
This article was compiled by AI from the sources cited above. We strive for accuracy, but for decisions about your specific situation, please confirm the latest guidance from a professional or the relevant agency.
Sierra Care Advisor is here to help caregivers find care resources in both Korea and the United States — so you don't have to carry this alone.
Note: This article was compiled by AI from the sources cited above. We strive for accuracy, but for decisions about your specific situation, please confirm the latest guidance from a professional or the relevant agency.