Family adaptation to mental illness: Burden & resilience in caregiving

• Main Author: Santiago, Patricia Marie H.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2006
• Subjects: Mental ill > Family relationships; Adjustment (Psychology); Mentally ill > Care; Adaptability (Psychology); Clinical Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/3593; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etd_masteral/article/10431/viewcontent/CDTG004133_P__2_.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study documented the family's experience of adapting to the demands of caring for a mentally ill member. Family adaptation was explored using Pattersons (1998; 1995) Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) Model as its conceptual orientation. Both burden and resilience in caregiving were considered. Of the five families recruited, each of the three families was represented by at least two members while two lone caregivers represented the other two families. In all, eight family members (parents and siblings) were interviewed. Qualitative data were examined using narrative analysis. Findings revealed that mental illness posed emotional, physical, relational and economic demands on the family. Utilizing a variety of resources at the individual, family and community levels as well as developing coping behaviors contributed to the families resilience in caregiving. The families positive perception of mental illness and of their ability to adapt to its demands facilitated further their successful adaptation. The structure of participants narratives (e.g. progressive narrative, regressive to progressive or comedy narrative) depicted further the extent to which families were able to integrate mental illness in their day-to-day lives.