Development of a Family Support System for Families of the Relatives with Mental Illness

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Mental illness affects both the ill relative and his/her family. It has been well documented that families of relatives with mental illness experience various aspects of caregiving burden. However, research investigating how families cope with the burden is scarce.The purpose of this study was to identify caregiving burden and coping and to develop a community family support system for families of the mentally ill. This study consists of four phases.During the first phase, caregiving burden and coping were identified and a caregiving burden-coping model was constructed. Four family coping styles were also identified : co-prosperous, fused, self-protective, and demoralized styles. Those coping styles were explained by "family's responsiveness" to the welfare of the ill relative and "family's self-nurturance" of their own well-being.During the second and third phases, a questionnaire was developed to measure caregiving burden and coping. From the constructed caregiving burden-coping model, we hypothesized caregiving burden would be predicted by a combination of ill relative's difficult behavior, family's caregiving resources, family's social support, and family's coping. Though family's social support and family's coping were related to caregiving burden, a multiple regression analysis indicated a combination of lack of caregiving resources, ill relative's difficult behavior, and hiding of the illness contributed to caregiving burden.During the final phase, a family support system was developed. The system was designed to, a) improve both the ill relative's and family's quality of life, b) develop family's caregiving resources and support, c) decrease stigma, and d) facilitate family's recovery while strengthening family's coping skills.