Experiences of family caregivers of persons living with mental illness: A meta-synthesis

Abstract

BackgroundMeta-synthesis is used to generate and understand new insights from a qualitative perspective. Caregiving is associated with a range of physical and psychological symptoms. Caregivers bear the brunt of caregiving and this has become worse since the inception of de-institutionalisation, as more patients are discharged into the community under the care of their families.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to synthesise phenomenological qualitative studies and create a comprehensive chronicle of phenomena of family caregivers’ experiences of caring for relatives living with mental illness.MethodGoogle Scholar and different electronic databases, which included CINAHL, MEDLINE, EBSCO and PubMed, were searched using keywords for relevant studies published from 1994 to 2014. To obtain an in-depth view of caregivers’ lived experiences, a qualitative meta-synthesis was employed to review the findings of 10 studies.ResultsA total of 10 studies were included in the meta-synthesis. The family caregivers described their caregiving experiences under four themes: perceived responsibility of caregiving, experiences of emotional effect, experiences of support needs and experiences of changed perspective.ConclusionThe meta-synthesis revealed a lack of emotional coping among the family caregivers. This calls for robust family caregiver interventions to facilitate their mental health.

Lived experiences of informal caregivers of people with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review and meta-ethnography

“…Previous studies have explored the lived experiences of caregivers of people with other diseases, notably dementia, 8,9 cancer 8,10 and mental illness. 11 Whilst there are overlapping themes, most notably regarding constant burden, 8,10 knowledge 9,11 and role reversal, 11 themes reported in this study specific to musculoskeletal pain include legitimising symptoms and acting as a confidant. This may be explained by the temporal nature of these disease processes.…”

“…11 These have highlighted various lived experiences, each of which offer difference experiences dependent on the disease state of individuals. Whilst these are recurrent themes such as constant burden, 8,10 knowledge 9,11 and role reversal, 11 there are also differences related to reward, worth and pleasure which have been associated with caregiving for people with terminal illness, 12,13 but also fear and concern regarding harm, associated with caregiving for people with cognitive impairment. 14,15 Various sociological models have been developed to explain caregiver-care recipient dyads.…”

“…6,7 The lived experience of caregiving for people who have non-musculoskeletal pain conditions has been previously reported, most notably in dementia, 8,9 cancer 8,10 and mental illness. 11 These have highlighted various lived experiences, each of which offer difference experiences dependent on the disease state of individuals. While these are recurrent themes such as constant burden, 8,10 knowledge 9,11 and role reversal, 11 there are also differences related to reward, worth and pleasure which have been associated with caregiving for people with terminal illness, 12,13 but also fear and concern regarding harm, associated with caregiving for people with cognitive impairment.…”

Pathways and Processes Linking Social Support to Health: Development of an Exploratory Model With South African Caregivers

“…Primary caregivers of children in HIV-endemic Southern African communities are a high-risk population for mental and physical health conditions, as a result of health risks related to HIV and caregiving responsibilities in a context of multiple social stressors (Casale & Wild, 2013; Pinquart & Sörensen, 2007). Much has been written describing the financial, physical, social, and emotional burden of care associated with informal caregiving in Southern Africa (Kalomo & Besthorn, 2018; Katana et al, 2020; Mashegoane & Mohale, 2016; Ntsayagae et al, 2019; Streid et al, 2014). Caregivers, mainly women and often older adults, are caring for their own children and orphaned or other nonbiological children, as well as individuals with illness and disability.…”

“…They are doing so in a context of poverty, HIV, and other social stressors (Huang et al, 2017; Kalomo & Besthorn, 2018). Qualitative research conducted in Southern Africa highlights caregivers’ feelings of hopelessness, powerlessness, and distress, as they struggle to cope with financial and emotional hardship (Mashegoane & Mohale, 2016; Ntsayagae et al, 2019). Despite various levels of formal or institutional support, several studies report inadequate formal and informal social support as contributors to caregiver burden (Maddocks et al, 2020; Mashegoane & Mohale, 2016).…”