Improving coping styles in family caregivers of psychiatric inpatients using planned behavior problem-solving training

Background: The consequences and high costs of psychiatricdisorders impact family caregivers greatly. Health services shouldidentify and provide accessible support programs to facilitate effective caregiver coping.Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a theory-of-planned-behavior-based problem-solvingtraining program on the coping styles of family caregivers ofpsychiatric inpatients.Methods: In this two-group, randomized control trial, 72 familycaregivers were randomly assigned to either a control group receiving standard care or an intervention group receiving a trainingprogram (eight sessions over 4 weeks). Demographic informationwas recorded at baseline, and the Coping Inventory for StressfulSituations was administered to both groups at baseline, immediately postintervention, and 1-month follow-up.Results: Immediately after the intervention, the interventiongroup earned significantly higher task-oriented coping stylescores (mean difference = 5.03, p = .015) than the control group,but no significant difference was detected between the twogroups for either emotion- or avoidance-oriented coping stylescores. At 1-month follow-up, the intervention group earned significantly higher scores than the control group for task-oriented(mean difference = 8.56, p p = .002) coping styles. No improvement inavoidance-oriented coping style at the postintervention or follow-uptime points was detected.Conclusions: Implementation by nurses and other health professionals of problem-solving training programs that are basedon the theory of planned behavior is recommended to strengthenthe use of task- and emotion-oriented approaches that help family caregivers of psychiatric patients better cope with stress