جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « بار مراقب » در نشریات گروه « پزشکی »

Caring for an adult child with schizophrenia is mostly done by the parents, who are often in old age. The physical conditions and age of elderly parents and the constant dependence of these patients on them may have a significant impact on the quality of care. The present study aims to investigate the lived experiences of Iranian elderly parents with adult children having schizophrenia.

This is a qualitative phenomenological study. Colaizzi’s seven-step method was used for data analysis. Using a purposive sampling method and considering maximum diversity, 16 elderly parents of adults with schizophrenia were selected from among those referred to the treatment and support centers in Tehran, Iran. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist was used in this study. 

Four main themes and 11 sub-themes were extracted. The theme of emotional burden included the sub-themes of “endless fear and worry”, “regret and shame”, and “sadness and anger”. The theme of caring burden included the sub-themes of “impaired social and family relationships”, “helplessness and ineffective support”, and “challenges of the healthcare system”. The theme of optimal and effective care included the sub-themes of “purposeful effort for the child's recovery” and “commitment and responsibility”. The theme of coping strategies included the sub-themes of “spiritual coping strategy”, “adaptive psychological strategies”, and “maladaptive psychological strategies”. 

Caring for an adult child with schizophrenia brings is burdensome and have adverse psychological consequences for elderly parents. It is essential to support these parents to help them overcome psychological challenges during caregiving and use adaptive psychological coping strategies by providing psycho-educational interventions.

Family caregivers of patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders are prone to many physical and psychological problems during their care process. There are several ways to reduce the physical and psychological consequences in caregivers. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of psychological education on the responsibility and mental health of family caregivers of psychiatric patients in Lordegan, Iran.

In this quasi-experimental study, 60 psychiatric caregivers were randomly assigned to two groups of intervention and control. Two questionnaires were used to collect information: Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS) and Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI). Psychological training intervention in the intervention group was based on a group method and no intervention was performed in the control group. The training program was presented in 8 sessions and the collected data were analyzed using SPSS software.

After the intervention, the mean burden of responsibility and mental health in the intervention group had a significant decrease compared to before the intervention (P < 0.001); however, after the intervention, the mean burden of responsibility and mental health in the control group was not significantly different than before (P > 0.05).

The results of this study emphasize the usefulness of psychological educational intervention in reducing the burden of responsibility and mental health of family caregivers of psychiatric patients. Therefore, holding training courses in the field of psychology for the caregivers of psychiatric patients can empower caregivers in various psychological dimensions, including reducing the burden of responsibility and increasing mental health.