Coping profiles of family caregivers of people with schizophrenia: differentiations between parent and sibling caregivers

Abstract

Background Prior research on informal caregivers of people with schizophrenia (PWS) has primarily focused on parental caregivers. However, siblings also play an important role in the recovery process of PWS. Aims The aim of this study is to compare the coping profiles of family caregivers according to whether they are siblings or parents of the PWS. Method Parent and sibling caregivers (N = 181) completed the Family Coping Questionnaire (FCQ), which assessed their coping strategies. Results The results reveal that parents and siblings do not use the same coping strategies and styles. Three coping profiles were identified depending on the caregiver’s relationship with the PWS. Most parents displayed an undifferentiated profile (96.7%), while siblings were more heterogeneously distributed among the undifferentiated profile (58.3%), problem-focused profile (37.5%), and emotion and social support-focused profile (4.2%). Conclusions These findings suggest that the coping capacities of family caregivers to deal with the illness of their sibling or child with schizophrenia are diverse and that it is important to differentiate among them. This would enable these caregivers to benefit from support that could be tailored to their specific needs.