Quality of Life of Spouses of Mentally Ill People

Angermeyer, Matthias C.; Kilian, Reinhold; Wilms, Hans-Ulrich; Wittmund, Bettina

doi:10.1177/0020764006067186

Cited by 57 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…However, in another Netherlands study of spouse carers of people with schizophrenia, Angermeyer et al (2006) found that psychological well-being and social relationships were negatively affected but overall quality of life was unaffected. Davis et al (2011) found that loss of intimacy in the relationship had a significant negative impact on quality of life for those caring for a spouse with Alzheimer's or Parkinson' disease.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

The Importance of Relationship in Understanding the Experiences of Spouse Mental Health Carers

Lawn

McMahon

2014

Qual Health Res

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The burden of caring for family members with mental illness has been researched extensively. However, knowledge of spouse carers' experiences is limited. In this article, we explore this from a carers' perspective, with 28 spouse carers, using qualitative open-ended semi-structured interviews using a grounded theory approach informed by the social interactionism tradition to collect and analyze the data. We present six interrelated themes around the central theme of this being "a real and genuine relationship". The findings indicate that caring for a spouse with severe mental illness is a unique role compared with other caring roles. First and foremost, spouse carers strive for the relationship with their partner, and accommodate mental illness into their lives to protect the relationship. Because of this, they often lead surreal lives marked by significant emotional pressure and isolation. This has implications for how mental health service providers work with and support spouse carers. KeywordsCaregivers / caregiving; grounded theory; men's health; mental health and illness; relationships, primary partner 2 Archived at Flinders University: dspace.flinders.edu.auInformal carers provide unpaid care to family or friends with a disability, chronic physical illness, mental illness, or who are frail aged. Treloar and Funk (2011) called this "intimate labour" which they situated within the broader concept of "familialism" where, "Households are viewed as having the primary responsibility for members' welfare throughout the life course" (p. 154). Some carers assume these responsibilities willingly, as part of familial connection with the person cared for. As Cormac and Tihanyi (2006) suggested Underpinning the caring role may be life-long love and friendship, together with an acceptance of the duty to provide care. Carers can derive satisfaction and a sense of well-being . . . receive love and affection from the care recipient, (and) gain a sense of achievement from developing personal attributes of patience and tolerance (p. 162).A significant group, bound to provide care through their chosen relationship, are wives, husbands or de facto partners of people with severe mental illnesses such as major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or personality disorder. Caring for someone with these diagnoses requires spouses to navigate many complexities within the spousal relationship and caring role. Spouse Carers of People with Chronic Physical Health ConditionsMany researchers have looked at the experience of spouse carers of people with cancer (Kuenzler, Hodgkinson, Zindel, Bargetzi & Znoi, 2011), stroke (Coombs, 2007, cardiac disease (Mahrer-Imhoff, Hoffmann & Froelicher, 2007), arthritis (Roberto & Gold, 1997), asthma (Afari & Schmaling, 2000, Parkinson's disease (Tanji, et al., 2008), Alzheimer's dementia (Gilliam & Steffen, 2006) and chronic conditions generally (Baanders & Heijmans, 2007). This research has highlighted carers' grief, burden, obligation, problems...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

The Importance of Relationship in Understanding the Experiences of Spouse Mental Health Carers

Lawn

McMahon

2014

Qual Health Res

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“…Em relação à qualidade de vida, os diversos trabalhos publicados até aos dias de hoje referiram-se às propriedades psicométricas do WHOQOL (13,(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22) , bem como à utilização do mesmo em amostras de pacientes psiquiátricos ou em estado de internação (23)(24)(25)(26)(27) e na população idosa (28)(29)(30) . O Brasil é um país onde parcela significativa da população (14,5%) é portadora de algum tipo de deficiência (31) .…”

Section: Análise Do íNdice Da Qualidade De Vida Por Dimensõesunclassified

A percepção de qualidade de vida de pessoas portadoras de deficiência física pode ser influenciada pela prática de atividade física?

Noce

Simim

Mello

2009

Rev Bras Med Esporte

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A prática regular de atividade física promove uma série de benefícios que vão além da esfera física. A qualidade de vida, segundo diversas fontes, diz respeito ao grau de satisfação de um indivíduo com os múltiplos aspectos da sua vida. As pessoas portadoras de deficiência física podem apresentar níveis de sedentarismo elevados, influenciando de forma decisiva na percepção de sua qualidade de vida. aBStRaCtThe positive effects of regular physical activity practice are not restricted to physical well being. Quality of life regards the overall sense of well-being of an individual in relation to the multiple aspects of his/her life. People with special needs may present high levels of sedentarism, which has a remarkable influence on their self-perceived quality of life. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to assess the effect of 12 weeks of physical activity practice on the perception of the quality of life of individuals with special needs. 20 male individuals with physical disabilities participated in the study. They were divided into two groups, Sedentary and Active. The instruments used were a questionnaire on demographic data and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Brief ). Mean age of the volunteers was 38.1 years, they were single, had not finished elementary school and lived in their own house. Most of them had poliomyelitis. The Active group presented higher scores in all domains of the instrument (physical, psychological, social and environmental). The results obtained in the present study showed that the quality of life of Active people with special needs was better than that of the Sedentary ones. Consequently, we strongly recommend that people with physical disabilities be encouraged to participate in physical and/or sports activity programs regularly.

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“…These disorders are associated with a marked impairment in the quality of life of patients and their relatives [3,4] and incur huge economic costs [5]. A Dutch population study estimated the cost of anxiety disorders in a population of 1 million to be approximately $500 million per year [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-help interventions for anxiety disorders: An overview

Cuijpers

Schuurmans²

2007

Curr Psychiatry Rep

118

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Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and are associated with a marked impairment in quality of life and a huge economic cost to society. Unfortunately, a considerable number of people who struggle with anxiety do not seek or receive adequate treatment. Self-help interventions have been proposed to constitute a relatively cheap, effective, efficient, and low-threshold intervention for anxiety disorders. This paper offers a critical discussion of their advantages and disadvantages and the evidence for their effectiveness. We conclude that guided self-help can play a major role in mental health care for patients with anxiety disorders. However, several research questions need to be answered before broad-scale dissemination is possible. The Internet will continue to play a prominent role in the further development of this field of research and clinical practice.

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Quality of Life of Spouses of Mentally Ill People

Abstract: Better treatment, professional support and participation in self-help and advocacy groups may help to improve the quality of life of spouses of mentally ill people.

Cited by 57 publications

References 8 publications

The Importance of Relationship in Understanding the Experiences of Spouse Mental Health Carers

The Importance of Relationship in Understanding the Experiences of Spouse Mental Health Carers

A percepção de qualidade de vida de pessoas portadoras de deficiência física pode ser influenciada pela prática de atividade física?

Self-help interventions for anxiety disorders: An overview

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