A Qualitative Analysis of Relatives' Experiences of Caring for a Family Member With Schizophrenia.

This study explored the experience of caring for a family member with schizophrenia within a coping and adaptation framework (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984). Eight parents of a schizophrenic person were interviewed about their experiences and the transcripts of these interviews were subjected to thematic content analysis. The findings indicate that negative symptoms represented the most burdensome stressor or these carers and that coping strategies gradually shifted from problem-focused to more emotion-focused forms of coping. In relation to the resources which are available to carers, the results indicate that support from one's social network and mental health services was generally lacking~ however, both informational and emotional support were available from carers self-help groups. The implications of this study for therapeutic practice are discussed