Family Caregivers' Experiences of Involuntary Psychiatric Hospital Admissions of Their Relatives – a Qualitative Study

Abstract

BackgroundFamily caregivers of people with mental disorders are frequently involved in involuntary hospital admissions of their relatives.ObjectiveTo explore family caregivers' experience of involuntary admission of their relative.Method30 in-depth interviews were conducted with family caregivers of 29 patients who had been involuntarily admitted to 12 hospitals across England. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsFour major themes of experiences were identified: relief and conflicting emotions in response to the relative's admission; frustration with a delay in getting help; being given the burden of care by services; and difficulties with confidentiality.Relief was a predominant emotion as a response to the relative's admission and it was accompanied by feelings of guilt and worry. Family caregivers frequently experienced difficulties in obtaining help from services prior to involuntary admission and some thought that services responded to crises rather than prevented them. Family caregivers experienced increased burden when services shifted the responsibility of caring for their mentally unwell relatives to them. Confidentiality was a delicate issue with family caregivers wanting more information and a say in decisions when they were responsible for aftercare, and being concerned about confidentiality of information they provided to services.ConclusionCompulsory admission of a close relative can be a complex and stressful experience for family caregivers. In order for caregivers to be effective partners in care, a balance needs to be struck between valuing their involvement in providing care for a patient and not overburdening them.

Pengalaman Keluarga dalam Merawat Pasien Pascapasung

“…Lebih dominannya perempuan dibanding lakilaki sebagai caregiver dalam penelitian ini, sejalan dengan hasil penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Jankovic, et al (2011) Penelitian ini juga menemukan bahwa usia caregiver bagi pasien pascapasung berada pada rentang usia dewasa (30-59 tahun). Penelitian yang dilakukan Hou, Ke, Sue, Lung dan Huang (2008) menjelaskan bahwa rata-rata usia keluarga yang menjadi caregiver bagi pasien schizophrenia di Taiwan adalah 55 tahun, sedangkan Yusuf dan Nuhu (2011) menjelaskan bahwa rata-rata usia caregiver pasien schizophrenia adalah 45 tahun dan rata-rata mempunyai stres emosional yang tinggi.…”

Stigma and mental health- caregivers’ perspective: A qualitative analysis

“…2 There is growing attention given to the caregivers who have been associated with the mental health services over the past 10 years. 4,1 Caregivers play various roles in everyday care of the mentally ill person, e.g. monitoring their mental state and treatment, accompanying them to the hospital or clinic, offering emotional support, helping them economically, etc.…”

“…1 Furthermore, caregivers have to tolerate the behavioural swings of the patient, including aggressiveness. 1,2 Care giving along with other routine activities makes the caregiver experience negative and some of them consequently lead to substantive stress or burden, 1,2,4 while others get adjusted to it. 1,4 The needs of the caregivers often are the same or prevail over the needs of the mentally ill 1 and sometimes have an effect on their quality of life.…”

“…1,2 Care giving along with other routine activities makes the caregiver experience negative and some of them consequently lead to substantive stress or burden, 1,2,4 while others get adjusted to it. 1,4 The needs of the caregivers often are the same or prevail over the needs of the mentally ill 1 and sometimes have an effect on their quality of life. 6 The caregiver burden is found all over the world and almost eight out of ten caregivers face it when providing care to the mentally ill person as the illness is challenging and chronic in nature.…”

“…6 The caregiver burden is found all over the world and almost eight out of ten caregivers face it when providing care to the mentally ill person as the illness is challenging and chronic in nature. The constant stress or burden has a negative effect on physical, psychological and social health of the caregivers, [2][3][4][5] which may lead to burnout and emotional fatigue in the long run, and they often neglect their own health and welfare. 5 The caregiver burden can be divided into two: objective and subjective.…”