RESEARCH WEEKLY: November is Family Caregivers Month  By Elizabeth Sinclair Hancq (November 23, 2022) November is Family Caregivers Month, a time to honor family caregivers who provide support for their loved ones with disabilities. As readers of this blog know, providing support to loved ones with a severe mental illness is a 24/7 job. Family members have absorbed more and more of the care for their loved ones with severe mental illness as treatment for these individuals have increasingly shifted to outpatient settings over the past 60 years. Yet, caregivers are often overlooked or ignored as partners in their loved one’s treatment. Researchers surveyed caregivers of loved ones with schizophrenia to understand the burdens that they face in their caregiving role and to understand specific educational needs caregivers may have. The results, published in Patient Preference and Adherence suggest that most caregivers feel responsible for their loved one’s adherence to treatment. Additionally, caregivers need more educational resources to help support them in their role. Survey Details A total of 96 caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia responded to the survey. Two-thirds of respondents reported spending more than 10 hours per week caring for their loved one with severe mental illness. Caregivers reported that their loved ones’ most worrisome symptoms were delusions and hallucinations as well as social withdrawal from their peers. Caregivers felt they needed to act as a mediator between their loved one and their treatment team and that they were responsible for their loved one’s adherence to treatment, according to the results. Regarding burdens of caring for someone with schizophrenia, respondents reported their caregiving role: resulted in significant disruptions to their family life, strained their emotional health, and caused an increased financial burden. The presence of delusions or physical aggression in their loved one with schizophrenia was also a statistically significant predictor of a greater burden on the caregiver, according to the survey results. Caregiver Education One-half of caregivers felt that local community resources were inadequate sources of support or encouragement. Almost all (87%) reported utilizing online resources for information about schizophrenia. “Caregivers indicated that information on new medications, coping as a caregiver, understanding specific symptoms, housing and helping patients become independent, and establishing support groups in their areas would be helpful,” the authors write. “A specific coping concern was how to manage living with and helping a patient with schizophrenia, especially when they are not willing to take medication.” Implications Family caregivers are overlooked as targets for education and as partners in their loved ones’ care, despite the role that they have in mediating their loved ones’ relationship with the treatment team and the perceived burden of being responsible for their loved one’s treatment adherence. These results suggest online resources and education can be a source of information and support for caregivers of loved ones with serious mental illness. Caregivers especially reported wanting information on new and emerging therapies that may help facilitate discussions with their loved ones’ clinicians. This blog, Research Weekly, is designed to do exactly that by providing new research and information to family caregivers of loved ones with serious mental illness to utilize in their family’s care and advocacy work. The Office of Research and Public Affairs is here to support all caregivers this Family Caregivers Month and all year. Please email [email protected] for any questions or topic ideas for blogs in the coming year. Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving! References Citrome, L., et al. (2022, January). Perceived burdens and educational needs of caregivers of people with schizophrenia: Results of a national survey study. Patient Preference and Adherence. Elizabeth Sinclair Hancq is the director of research at Treatment Advocacy Center. View as Webpage To receive Research Weekly directly in your email inbox on a weekly basis, click here. Questions? Contact us at [email protected] Research Weekly is a summary published as a public service of the Treatment Advocacy Center and does not necessarily reflect the findings or positions of the organization or its staff. Full access to research summarized may require a fee or paid subscription to the publications. The Treatment Advocacy Center does not solicit or accept funds from pharmaceutical companies. Treatment Advocacy Center | 200 N Glebe Rd, Ste 801, Arlington, VA 22203 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!