Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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What carers of family members with mental illness say, think and do about their relative's smoking and the implications for health promotion and service delivery: a qualitative study
- Authors:
- LAWN Sharon, McNAUGHTON Darlene, FULLER Louise
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 17(5), 2015, pp.261-277.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Few researchers have explored family carers’ perspectives of smoking by their family members with mental illness, despite smoking rates remaining high for people with mental illness. In-depth qualitative interviews with twelve South Australian family carers explored their experiences and views of providing care for people with mental illness who smoke. Data were analysed thematically. Around the central theme of the caring role within the context of mental illness and smoking, were three interrelated themes: (1) responsibility; (2) accommodation; and, (3) dissonance. Carers struggled physically, philosophically and emotionally with perceived responsibilities involving their family member's smoking. They felt isolated and asserted as there was limited support from service providers to assist them. Carers are important agents within the person's immediate environment who could potentially help them to improve their smoking cessation success. Community services aiming to support smoking cessation support for this population need to incorporate the role of family carers. (Publisher abstract)
Caregiver's burden, coping and psycho-education in Indian households with single- and multiple-affected members with schizophrenia
- Authors:
- CHAKRABORTY Satabdi, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 15(2), 2013, pp.288-298.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
There is considerable evidence that family psycho-education combined with pharmacological intervention for patients with schizophrenia increases family understanding of the illness, reduces familial burden of care and improves patient outcomes. However, no studies have determined whether the burden of care is greater for those families with more than one ill member (multiplex), than for families with a single-affected individual (simplex), and whether psycho-educational programmes should be adapted to meet the specific needs of multiplex families. The study was conducted at a tertiary care postgraduate teaching hospital in New Delhi, India. Caregivers in simplex (N = 50) and multiplex families (N = 30) were compared with regard to levels of burden, coping and the impact of psycho-education on family functioning. All the caregiver participants attended eight bimonthly psycho-educational intervention sessions. They were assessed on the Burden Assessment Schedule (BAS) and the Coping Check List (CCL) before and after psycho-education. Caregivers from the multiplex families reported significantly more burden on two domains of the BAS, but there were no significant differences between the groups with regard to coping on the CCL. Following psycho-education, significant improvement occurred in the majority of domains of the BAS and the CCL; the effect sizes varied by domain and family type. Multiplex families face a greater burden of care compared with simplex families. Currently available psycho-education programmes are moderately effective for such families. (Publisher abstract)
Facilitators and barriers to support group participation for family caregivers of adults with mental Illness
- Authors:
- BIEGEL David E., SHAFRAN Robert D., JOHNSEN Jeffrey A.
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 40(2), April 2004, pp.151-166.
- Publisher:
- Springer
Few low-income and minority caregivers of persons with serious mental illness participate in support groups. This study examined the facilitators and barriers to participation in support groups for families of persons with serious mental illness among lower socioeconomic African-American and Caucasian family caregivers. Three hypotheses were tested in a multivariate model which included need, enabling and predisposing variables utilizing a revised version of the Andersen model. Support group membership was hypothesized to be predicted by a higher perceived cost-benefit ratio (benefits minus costs) of group participation, fewer numbers of access barriers and higher levels of service use. A non-experimental cross-sectional design was used. Subjects were 145 lower socioeconomic status African-American and Caucasian family caregivers, 65 of whom were current support group members and 80 of whom had never participated in support groups. Findings confirmed that support group members reported a more favorable cost-benefit ratio and fewer access barriers than did non-support group members, controlling for other variables. Level of non-support group service use was not significantly different for support and non-support group members. Non-members' assessments of support group participation may be based on inaccurate perceptions and/or incomplete knowledge. Educational campaigns, sponsored by support groups and mental health authorities focusing on both perceptions about support groups as well as structural impediments to participation, such as access barriers, should be undertaken.
Parental influence on sibling caregiving for people with severe mental illness
- Authors:
- JEWELL Thomas C., STEIN Catherine H.
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 38(1), February 2002, pp.17-33.
- Publisher:
- Springer
Adult siblings of people with serious mental illness are increasingly being called upon to serve as caregivers for their loved ones. This American study investigated 111 adults' reports of their relationships with their afflicted siblings and with their parents in an attempt to explain well siblings' reports of: current caregiving, hypothetical caregiving willingness, and future intention to care for their brother or sister with mental illness. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicate that perceived sibling need, sibling affection, reciprocity with ill siblings, felt obligation toward parents, and parental requests for help with caregiving are associated with current sibling caregiving. Findings also suggest that adults' beliefs about their ill siblings' need for assistance and their parents' need for assistance are related to future siblings caregiving intentions. The implications of these findings for researchers and mental health professionals are discussed.
Stigma, expressed emotion, and quality of life in caregivers of individuals with dementia
- Authors:
- WEISMAN de MAMANI Amy G., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Family Process, 57(3), 2018, pp.694-706.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Expressed emotion (EE) is a measure of a caregiver's critical and emotionally overinvolved (EOI; e.g., intrusive, self‐sacrificing) attitudes and behaviours toward a person with a mental illness. Mounting evidence indicates that high levels of these critical and EOI attitudes and behaviours (collectively termed high EE) in family members are associated with a poorer course of illness for people with a range of disorders, including dementia (Nomura et al., 2005). However, less is known about factors that might trigger high EE and how high EE might impact dementia caregivers’ own mental health. In this study the authors propose that caregivers who perceive stigma from their relative's illness may be more likely to be critical or intrusive (high EOI) toward their relative in an attempt to control symptomatic behaviours. The authors further hypothesized that high EE would partially mediate the link between stigma and quality of life (QoL) as there is some evidence that high EE is associated with poorer mental health in caregivers themselves (Safavi et al., 2015). In line with study hypotheses and using a sample of 106 dementia caregivers, the authors found that greater caregiver stigma was associated with both high EE (for criticism and EOI) and with poorer QoL. Mediational analyses further confirmed that high EE accounts for much of the association between stigma and poorer QoL. Study results suggest that addressing caregiver stigma in therapy could reduce levels of high EE and indirectly therefore improve caregiver QoL. Intervening directly to reduce high EE could also improve caregiver QoL. (Edited publisher abstract)
Family functioning in the caregivers of patients with dementia
- Authors:
- HERU Alison M., RYAN Christine E., IQBAL Asma
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 19(6), June 2004, pp.533-537.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Caregiver burden has been extensively studied in the dementia population. The marital relationship has been suggested as a mediational model through which variables influence the caregiver and contribute to the experience of burden or reward. This study examines family functioning, caregiver burden and reward and quality of life in 38 family members caring for a relative with dementia. Caregivers of out-patients with dementia completed self report questionnaires. 63% of caregivers were female with a mean age of 62 years. Patient mean age was 73 years. The average number of caregiving years was 3.1. Caregivers were more likely to be spouses (61%) than children (29%) or other relatives (11%). Despite the fact that caregivers reported that their relatives were moderately disabled, they perceived more reward than burden. Caregivers who reported poor family functioning had higher ratings of strain and burden. Family functioning in these caregivers was poorest in the dimensions of affective responsiveness, problem solving and communication but it was also impaired in roles and affective involvement.
Depressive symptoms among spousal caregivers of institutionalised mates with Alzheimer's: boundary ambiguity and mastery as predictors
- Authors:
- KAPLAN Lori, BOSS Pauline
- Journal article citation:
- Family Process, 38(1), Spring 1999, pp.85-103.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The goal of this study was to identify factors that predict whether or not community-dwelling spouses experience depressive symptoms upon institutionalisation of a mate with Alzheimer's Disease. If a goal is to keep caregivers health, then interventions and education about how to live with ambiguity and how to be masterful in spite of the ambiguous status of one's mate seem necessary. Clinical implications are discussed.
Professionals' understanding of their responsibilities in the collaboration with family caregivers of older persons with mental health problems in Norway
- Authors:
- SUNDE Olivia Sissil, VATNE Solfrid, YTREHUS Siri
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 30(4), 2022, pp.1325-1333.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Research has highlighted the importance of health and social care professionals' collaboration with family caregivers. In the field of mental healthcare, involvement of family members is perceived as beneficial to the recovery process of the care recipient. Furthermore, family care-giving is an essential part of elderly care. It is well documented that family members need support to prevent negative consequences of care-giving. Nevertheless, involvement of and support for family caregivers have not developed into a common practice, and research has identified professional barriers to collaboration with family caregivers in several areas. The aim of this study was to explore professionals' experiences of collaboration with family caregivers of older persons with mental health problems, and how they understood their responsibility towards families. We conducted three focus group interviews with 18 health and social care professionals working in community-based services, in three rural municipalities in Western Norway. The thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke guided the analysis. The findings in relation to the professionals' role and responsibility towards family caregivers are presented in three themes: family caregivers, a resource that needs support; a responsibility with unclear boundaries; and balancing different needs. Professionals recognised family caregivers' need for support and acknowledged the importance of family relationships. However, they experienced dilemmas in performing their dual responsibility of caring for the older care recipient as well as the family member, which they described as having unclear guidelines. They also experienced that they had insufficient knowledge to take on this responsibility. We argue that the exercising of discretion is essential for the professionals' responsibility, and that clarification of their responsibility is needed. We recommend a stronger focus in education on developing competence in the family perspective. Furthermore, the apportionment of professionals' responsibility needs to be formalised, especially when several services are involved in providing care. (Edited publisher abstract)
Predictors of dyadic relationship quality of women in substance abuse treatment
- Authors:
- BIEGEL David E., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 3(1), 2006, pp.87-112.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The quality of relationship between family caregivers and care recipients with dual disorders can impact care recipients' well-being and treatment outcomes as well as caregivers' well-being and involvement in care. This American study examines the impact of caregiver stressors and well-being on relationship quality of family caregivers of women with substance use disorders or co-occurring substance and mental disorders. Eighty-two women receiving in-patient or out-patient substance abuse treatment and the family member/significant other, nominated by each woman, who provided her with the most social support, were interviewed in this non-experimental cross-sectional study. A stress coping model was utilized to identify the impact of family caregivers' stressors (care recipient behavioural, substance abuse, and mental health problems) and caregiver well-being (burden and depressive symptomatology) on caregivers' perceptions of the quality of their relationship with their care recipient. Findings from multiple regression analyses, across four types of caregiver well-being, show that greater perceived support to the caregiver was predicted by fewer perceived care recipient substance abuse problems, whereas higher levels of undermining of the caregiver was predicted by greater care recipient behavioural problems and by the family caregiver being a significant other of the care recipient. Care recipient classification as having a current dual disorder as compared to a current substance use disorder only was not a significant predictor of perceived support given to the caregiver or of perceived undermining of the family member. The findings suggest interventions for family caregivers need to be tailored to address different and possibly multiple groups of caregivers, specific types of stressors, and care recipient behavioural problems. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Expressed emotion in family members of depressed older adults
- Authors:
- HINRICHSEN G. A., ADELSTEIN L., MCMENIMAN M.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 9(4), July 2004, pp.353-363.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study examined similarities between the Expressed Emotion (EE) construct developed in the psychiatric literature and interpersonally relevant constructs derived from gerontology caregiver research. Expressed emotion and other indices derived from the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI) were assessed in 46 adult children and spouses providing care to an older adult hospitalized for major depressive disorder. The relationship of CFI indices with the family member's past and current relationship with the depressed relative, illness attributions, and emotional functioning was examined. Of the family members, 60.9% were classified as high EE. Measures of past and current relationship and illness attributions were significantly associated with most of the CFI indices. In multivariate analyses, past relationship and illness attributions predicted high EE status. Only past relationship predicted the CFI index of warmth. There is conceptual and empirical overlap between the EE construct and interpersonally relevant gerontology variables. Expressed emotion holds promise for a more complex understanding of caregiving and better caregiver interventions.