An Exploration of Family Caregiver Experiences of Burden and Coping While Caring for People with Mental Disorders in Saudi Arabia—A Qualitative Study

Loujain Sharif, Shimaa Basri, Fidaa Alsahafi, Mashael Altaylouni, Shihanah Albugumi, Maram Banakhar, Alaa Mahsoon, Nofaa Alasmee and Rebecca J. Wright
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Loujain Sharif: Department of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21551, Saudi Arabia
Shimaa Basri: Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Fidaa Alsahafi: Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Mashael Altaylouni: Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Shihanah Albugumi: Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Maram Banakhar: Department of Public Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21551, Saudi Arabia
Alaa Mahsoon: Department of Public Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21551, Saudi Arabia
Nofaa Alasmee: Department of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21551, Saudi Arabia
Rebecca J. Wright: Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-15

Abstract: Family caregivers of people with mental disorders face a number of burdens and stressors, such as associative stigma and burnout. These burdens are often a result of their caring role coupled with insufficient support or ineffective coping strategies, which can affect their quality of life and biopsychosocial integrity that, in turn, may affect the care they provide. This study aimed to explore the experiences of family caregivers of people with mental disorders, through examining the burdens that they face and the coping strategies that they use. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, 13 semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of the Saudi public, recruited through popular social media platforms and analyzed using thematic analysis. Five main themes were constructed from the data: Type of care, Challenges, Coping and support, Perceptions of public awareness, and Messages to others. The findings emphasize the different types of burdens that caregivers experience, and their needs that require a range of responses such as educational training on effective coping strategies, and psychological support in the form of counseling or group therapy. This study highlights the voice of caregivers and their message to the public, in order to correct the misconceptions surrounding mental disorders and those associated with them.

Keywords: caregivers; caregiver burden; coping; mental disorder (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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