Quality of life in family caregivers of persons with schizophrenia

Abstract

Family caregivers filled the gap between deinstitutionalization. and the shortage of community resources for persons with schizophrenia (PWS). A holistic approach for caring for the family caregivers is necessary. Discovering the quality of life and its contributing factors in family caregivers of PWS helps community mental nurses to better work with the family caregivers. This study used a descriptive design with 68 family caregivers of PWS recruited from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) chapters in L.A. A set of questionnaires includes demographic characteristics, social resources, social stress, caregiving experiences, and quality of life were self-administered. The results showed that family caregivers reported fairly good quality of life. The quality of life was directly impacted by the positive caregiving experience, negative caregiving experience, and chronic stress. Economic resources and social resources bad indirect impact on the quality of life. There were three major findings. First, it is important to note that positive caregiving experience co-existed with negative caregiving experience, as opposed to exist on two ends of a continuum. Identifying and discussing the positive caregiving experience can help to improve the family caregiver's quality of life. Third, a parsimonious model was developed to depict factors contributing to quality of life. The family caregiver's quality of life was impacted more by the day-to-day stress than by the negative caregiving experience. Mental health nurses have to include the non-caregiving-related stress when evaluating the family caregiver's needs.