Schizophrenia through the carers' eyes: results of a European cross‐sectional survey

Svettini, A.; Johnson, Brian R.; Magro, Cristina; Saunders, J.; Jones, Kevin; Silk, Sheldon; Hargarter, L.; Schreiner, A.

doi:10.1111/jpm.12209

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Most family carers in this study mentioned the limited effectiveness of antipsychotic medication, which was unsurprising since numerous studies have drawn attention to this issue (Gotzsche, Young & Crace, ; Khin et al, ; Leucht, Arbter et al., 2009; Leucht, Corves et al., 2009; Morrison, Meehan & Stomski, , b). Despite noting the lack of marked benefits that resulted from the use of antipsychotic medication, the family carers in our study noted that the positive effects outweighed the negative effects, which was broadly consistent with the findings of a European survey of carers (Svettini et al, ). Nonetheless, the findings of this study suggest that clinicians overly relied on medications, and perhaps could consider alternative treatment approaches.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Experiences of Family Carers for Persons Using Antipsychotic Medication

Morrison

Stomski

2017

ANZ J of Family Therapy

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Given the emphasis on the use of antipsychotic medication for severe mental illness, it is important to understand family carers’ perspectives on these medications and their effects on consumers’ lives. Such information may enable providers of family interventions to better understand families’ circumstances and more effectively support them in caring for mental health service users. Snowball sampling was used to recruit 29 family carers. Family carers acknowledged the calming effect of antipsychotic medication on service users, but also noted that there were few other therapeutic benefits. Moreover, the positive influence of antipsychotic medication was in most cases largely offset by the detrimental impact of antipsychotic medication on service users’ quality of life. The family carers in rationalising the trade‐off between beneficial and adverse antipsychotic medication effects typically experienced resignation, which was often accompanied by a sense of frustration that resulted from the reliance on medication.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Experiences of Family Carers for Persons Using Antipsychotic Medication

Morrison

Stomski

2017

ANZ J of Family Therapy

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“…The majority of carers interviewed were parents of a person with schizophrenia, with a gender bias in the sample, such that around three quarters of participants were female. However, this is in line with the gender balance found in other convenience samples of carers of persons with schizophrenia [46], and reflects the fact that mothers are most frequently the primary carer in schizophrenia [47]. It is possible that spouses, siblings, or children (or those of a younger age in general) may have different perceptions of what the important outcomes are.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Treatment outcomes in schizophrenia: qualitative study of the views of family carers

Lloyd

Lloyd²,

Fitzpatrick

et al. 2017

BMC Psychiatry

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BackgroundSchizophrenia is a complex, heterogeneous disorder, with highly variable treatment outcomes, and relatively little is known about what is important to patients. The aim of the study was to understand treatment outcomes informal carers perceive to be important to people with schizophrenia.MethodQualitative interview study with 34 individuals and 8 couples who care for a person with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed by a thematic framework based approach.ResultsCarers described well-recognised outcomes of importance, alongside more novel outcomes relating to: Safety (of the patient/others); insight (e.g. into non-reality of psychotic phenomena); respite from fear, distress or pain; socially acceptable behaviour; getting out of the house; attainment of life milestones; changes in personality and/or temperament; reduction of vulnerability to stress; and several aspects of physical health.ConclusionsThese findings have the potential to inform the development of patient- or carer- focused outcome measures that take into account the full range of domains that carers feel are important for patients.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1418-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…It is common for carers to simultaneously hold both positive and negative attitudes towards medication which could further influence the attitudes of a family member with mental illness. For example, a European survey of carers of patients with schizophrenia showed that most carers recognized the importance of medication to help patients get better (76%) while at the same time believing it damages their general health (67%; Svettini et al, 2015). Such concerns are legitimate given the heightened health risks associated with many antipsychotic medications (e.g., weight gain, new onset diabetes).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are carer attitudes toward medications related to self-reported medication adherence amongst people with mental illness?

Deane

McAlpine

Byrne

et al. 2018

Psychiatry Research

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Medication nonadherence among consumers with psychiatric disorders can significantly affect the health and wellbeing of the consumer and their family. Previous research has suggested that carers have an impact on consumer attitudes toward medication and adherence. Yet, how carer attitudes toward medication may be related to consumer attitudes and adherence has received little investigation. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the relationships between carer and consumer attitudes toward medication and consumer adherence behaviour. A cross-sectional survey assessing consumer and carer attitudes toward medication and consumer adherence was conducted amongst 42 consumer-carer dyads. Correlation analyses showed a positive association between consumer and carer attitudes toward medication and between consumer and carer attitudes with adherence. There was a general indication that the greater the difference between consumer and carer attitudes, the lower the level of adherence. Regression analyses revealed that while neither consumer nor carer attitudes were significant predictors of adherence, carer attitudes appeared to have a stronger role in adherence than consumer attitudes. These preliminary results highlight the importance of carer attitudes in relation to patient perceptions and behaviours toward medication, and thus the potential benefits of addressing both consumer and carer attitudes in any intervention for improving adherence.

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Schizophrenia through the carers' eyes: results of a European cross‐sectional survey

Cited by 17 publications

References 29 publications

Experiences of Family Carers for Persons Using Antipsychotic Medication

Experiences of Family Carers for Persons Using Antipsychotic Medication

Treatment outcomes in schizophrenia: qualitative study of the views of family carers

Are carer attitudes toward medications related to self-reported medication adherence amongst people with mental illness?

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