Factors Influencing the Motivation and Behaviors of Care Dependency Prevention Supporters

Abstract

[Purpose] To compare the characteristics of care dependency prevention supporters with different levels of motivation for their activities, and identify factors influencing their motivation and behaviors. [Participants and Methods] A mail questionnaire survey was conducted, involving participants of a training course for care dependency prevention supporters, and 190 who had returned valid responses were analyzed. [Results] The following factors were shown to influence the supporters’ motivations for their activities: “being personally participating in social activities”, “contributing to society, which led to participation in the training course”, and “the necessity of learning opportunities to promote volunteer activities”. Furthermore, “contributing to society, which led to participation in the training course”, “communicating with others, which led to participation in the training course ”, and “regularly and continuously performing exercise” were shown to influence their behaviors. [Conclusion] The results suggest the feasibility of increasing these supporters’ motivation by encouraging them to personally participate in social activities, and leading them toward positive behavioral changes by promoting their contribution to society.