Evaluation of an interaction-skills training for reducing the burden of family caregivers of patients with severe mental illness: a pre-posttest design

Background There is a wealth of literature exploring the experiences of family caregivers of people with severe mental illness (SMI) in western countries, however, this topic has been neglected in the Middle East, despite families being the main source of caregiving in this context. The purpose of this review was to conduct a systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis to explore the experiences of family caregivers living in countries in the Middle East caring for a relative with severe mental illness. Methods A systematic review and meta-synthesis were conducted, to comprehensively gain a thorough and detailed overview of what is known about family caregivers’ experiences from published qualitative research in the Middle East geographical area from inception to May 2021. The review protocol was pre-registered with PROSPERO (Ref: CRD42020165519). Results The review identified twelve qualitative studies that explored caregivers’ experiences of caring for relatives with SMI in Middle East countries. Family caregivers’ experiences were captured under seven overarching themes. The participants across all studies reported negative consequences of providing care, increased burden and emotional distress. Many experienced issues with family/marital relationships and stigmatizing attitudes and behaviours from their communities. Caregivers expressed the need for increased support which was perceived to have a critical role in improving family caregivers’ experiences. Conclusions The meta-synthesis revealed many challenges and issues that affect caregivers of people with SMI in the Middle East. Family caregivers experienced distress and burden, and reported significant impact on their psychological well-being. Their experiences highlight the urgent need to provide more support for family caregivers in Middle East countries.

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The Influence of Social Support and Care Burden on Depression among Caregivers of Patients with Severe Mental Illness in Rural Areas of Sichuan, China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16111961 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (11) ◽

pp. 1961 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Xiaxia Sun ◽

Jingjing Ge ◽

Hongdao Meng ◽

Zhiguo Chen ◽

Danping Liu

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Severe Mental Illness ◽

Family Caregivers ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Sichuan Province ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Psychological Consequences ◽

Care Burden

Depression is one of the most common psychological consequences of caregiving. Caring for patients with severe mental illness (SMI) adds significant challenges to family caregivers’ mental health. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of depression among caregivers of SMI patients in rural areas of Sichuan province of China, to examine the influence of social support and care burden on depression, and to explore the intermediary effect of care burden between social support and depression among caregivers of SMI patients. Data were collected from 256 primary caregivers of SMI patients in rural Sichuan Province in China. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized relationship among the variables. We found that a total of 53.5% of caregivers had depression. Both care burden (β = 0.599, 95%CI: 0.392–0.776) and social support (β = −0.307, 95%CI: (−0.494)–(−0.115)) were directly related to depression, while social support had a direct association with care burden (β = −0.506, 95%CI: (−0.672)–(−0.341)). Care burden mediated the relationship between social support and depression. For the socio-demographic variables, gender, education level and per capita annual income of household had significant correlations with depression (p < 0.05). The results strongly demonstrated that social support and care burden were predictors of depression, especially social support. Policymakers should fully recognize the role of primary family caregivers in caring for SMI patients and promote interventions to decrease care burden and reduce caregivers’ depression by improving social support and network. More attention should be given to female caregivers and caregivers with lower education and lower household income levels.

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Communication skills training for mental health professionals working with people with severe mental illness

10.1002/14651858.cd010006 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alexia Papageorgiou ◽

Yoon Loke ◽

Katherine HO Deane ◽

Michelle Fromage

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Severe Mental Illness ◽

Communication Skills ◽

Mental Health Professionals ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Skills Training ◽

Communication Skills Training

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Barriers to Family Caregivers’ Coping With Patients With Severe Mental Illness in Iran

Qualitative Health Research ◽

10.1177/1049732318758644 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

pp. 987-1001 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Hossein Ebrahimi ◽

Naeimeh Seyedfatemi ◽

Hossein Namdar Areshtanab ◽

Fatemeh Ranjbar ◽

Graham Thornicroft ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

Severe Mental Illness ◽

Family Caregivers ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Interview Method ◽

Bipolar Affective Disorders

The broad spectrum of problems caused by caring for a patient with mental illness imposes a high burden on family caregivers. This can affect how they cope with their mentally ill family members. Identifying caregivers’ experiences of barriers to coping is necessary to develop a program to help them overcome these challenges. This qualitative content analysis study explored barriers impeding family caregivers’ ability to cope with their relatives diagnosed with severe mental illness (defined here as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, and bipolar affective disorders). Sixteen family caregivers were recruited using purposive sampling and interviewed using a semi-structured in-depth interview method. Data were analyzed by a conventional content analytic approach. Findings consisted of four major categories: the patient’s isolation from everyday life, incomplete recovery, lack of support by the mental health care system, and stigmatization. Findings highlight the necessity of providing support for caregivers by the mental health care delivery service system.

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