Primary Caregivers’ Experiences of Families with Schizophrenia Patients
Keywords:
experiences, schizophrenia, primary caregiversAbstract
The purpose of this research was to explore through describing the experience of primary caregivers with schizophrenia patients. The areas focused on were 1) the explanation of the perception to patients’ mental illness, 2) communication based on the Peplau s’theory of interpersonal relations, and 3) mental health care services seeking.A qualitative, phenomenological method was adopted. In-depth Interviews and participatory observation of 13 participants were conducted with the caregivers of members diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in psychiatric hospitals. The average age of participants was 51.62±16.63 years. There were 5 male and 8 female caregivers. Nine caregivers were parents and other; spouse, sibling and child. The mean duration of care was 11.58 years. Content analysis was described as three themes: 1) the experiences of caregivers can be identified including the perception of mental illness of members with their first episodes of schizophrenia presented significant anxiety because of the lack of knowledge; 2) most caregivers communicated with highly expressed emotions; and 3) the older caregivers need someone who continuously takes care and provides long-term supporty. According to interpersonal relationships, psychiatric nurses should reduce caregivers’’ anxiety. Furthermore, the accessibility of mental health care services needs to be strengthened for families with schizophrenic patients.
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