Barriers to Family Resilience in Caregivers of People Who Have Schizophrenia

Abstract

Purpose: To explore the barriers to family resilience in caregivers of people who have schizophrenia.

Design: A qualitative descriptive approach was used.

Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia registered at the psychiatry outpatient unit of a hospital center. Content analysis was performed on audio-recorded and verbatim-transcribed interviews. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist was applied to this study.

Results: A total of 31 family caregivers participated, the majority of whom were female (71%) with an average age of 57.5 years. Most participants lived with and cared for their relative (90.3%). The caregiver role was assumed mostly by mothers (54.8%) and fathers (22.6%). Barriers to family resilience in caregivers of people experiencing schizophrenia broadly fall under five categories: lack of knowledge about the disease, social stigma, expressed emotion, involvement in the relationship, and blame.

Conclusions: In view of the paucity of studies exploring and understanding the barriers to family resilience, this study presents itself as one of the first in this area. There are different barriers to family resilience. This research provides an overview and an understanding of key barriers to family resilience in caregivers of people experiencing schizophrenia.

Clinical relevance: There is a need for nurses to help families to be resilient. By understanding the barriers to resilience, nurses are able to focus on these factors and help families to remove or reduce their influence.

Keywords: Barriers; caregivers; family; psychological; qualitative research; resilience; schizophrenia.