J Korean Community Nurs.  1999 Dec;10(2):435-454.

Study of the Positive and Negative Caregiving Experiences in the family members who care for the psychiatric mentally ill relatives

• Lee KO
• Kim HJ

Abstract

The caregiving experiences of 100 family menbers of outpatients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders were investigated for the presence of positive(positive family-patient relationship. patient' contribution to the family) and negative caregiving experience(objective and subjective burden) and their predictors. This study attempts to make the analysis of caregiving experience more useful by expanding the focus to incoporate these positive aspects of the experience of family caregiver.
Objective
burden consists of two elements: "disruption of family life", "care"(amount of caregiving related to activity of daily living). Subjective burden is defined as emotional reactions to the care giving and it comprised of 6 emotional subdimensions such as "stigma", "grief". "worry", "pity", "fear", "despair" Also we investigate the severity of patients' disturbing behaviors into two categories, positive and negative disturbing behaviors and patient' contribution to the family as a predictors of positive and negative caregiving experiences. This study use Pearson's correlation coefficient, Hierardhical regressions in the SAS Program. The results are as follows: 1. Respondents reported moderate level of objective burden "disruption of family life" (mean=2.48, range=1-4), and "care" (mean=2.54, range=1-4), and slightly high level of total subjective burden(mean=2.19, range=1-4). Mean scores for the measure of the severity of behavioral disturbance indicated that the caregiver experienced negative disturbing behaviors around almost "somtimes"(mean=2.28, range=1-4), and positive disturbing behaviors "almost not frequent"(mean=2.78. range=1-4). So they reported that they perceived patient's negative disturbing behaviors more than positive disturbing behaviors. Mean scores for the measure of the patient' contributions (mean = 1.99. range = 1-4) indicated that caregivers experienced these contributions a little. It means that there should be a positive aspect of possibilities of patient' family roles that can be developed in the daily life. Mean scores for the measure of the positive family-patient relationship indicated that caregivers experienced moderate level of positive family-patient relationship(mean=2.52, range = 1-4). 2. Hierardhical regression analysis 1) Hierardhical regression of 'disruption of family life' showed that the interaction between positive disturbing behaviors and patient' contributions (B=.20. p=.022) and caregiver's educational level(B=.06. p=.000) were 'significant and Hierardhical regression of 'care' showed that 'negative disturbing behaviors'(B=.35. p=.007). 'patient' contributions'(B=.28, p=.019). 'family income'(B=-.l1. p=.096) were significant. 2) Hierardhical regression of 'total subjective burden', 'stigma', 'grief', "worry", "pity". "fear", "dispair" showed that "positive disturbing behaviors"(B=.51. p=.000). "negative disturbing behaviors" (B=.17, p=.026), "caregiver's educational level"(B=.03. p=.036), "family income"(B=.08. p=.041) were significant predictors of "total subjective burden": "positive disturbing behaviors"(B=.32. p=.066). "negative disturbing behaviors"(B=.24, p=.096) "durations of illness"(B=.03. p=.079) were significant predictors of "stigma" "negative disturbing behaviors"(B=.28. p=.005). "patient sex"(B=-.32. p=.022). "positive disturbing behaviors"(B=.28. p=.020), "patient age"(B=.02. p=.010), "caregiver age"(B=-01, p=.002) were significant predictors of "grief" "negative disturbing behaviors"(B=.28, p=.005). "patient sex"(B=-.32. p=.039), "caregiver age"(B=-.02, p=.023). "caregiver's educational level"(B=.04, p=.044) were significant predictors of "worry" "patient sex"(B=-.46. p=.005). "negative disturbing behaviors"(B=.28. p=.018), "caregiver age"(B=-.01, p=.037) were significant predictors of "pity" "positive disturbing behaviors"(B=.83. p=.000). "patient" contributions" (B=.22, p=.017). "family income"(B=.09. p=.65) were significant predictors of "fear" "positive disturbing behaviors"(B=.49, p=.001). "negative disturbing behaviors"(B=.24. p=.057) "patient sex"(B=-.4l, p=.017), "family income"(B=.14, p=.047) were significant predictors of "dispair". 3) Hierardhical regression of "positive relationship" showed that "patient contributions"(B=.32, p=.000). "negative disturbing behaviors"(B=.24, p=.005), "patient sex"(B=-.23, p=.036).

MeSH Terms

Caregivers
Surveys and Questionnaires
Humans
Mentally Ill Persons*
Outpatients
Psychotic Disorders
Schizophrenia