Discrepancy in Spirituality among Patients with Schizophrenia and Family Care-Givers and Its Impacts on Illness Recovery: A Dyadic Investigation

Abstract

Family is one of the primary sources of spiritual care for people with schizophrenia. Gaps in perspectives between family care-givers and patients not only result in improper spiritual care, but also lead to family conflicts and hamper recovery. Yet, the mutual understanding of spirituality among both parties is often neglected. We here reported part of a larger study that explored the meaning and the role of spirituality in schizophrenia rehabilitation from the perspectives of patients, mental-health professionals and family care-givers. The result suggests that discrepancies in conceptions of spirituality between patients and their care-givers may affect patients’ family dynamic and their recovery. A qualitative approach based on grounded-theory principles was used. Six patient–care-giver dyads and one triad of two patients with schizophrenia and one care-giver (N = 15) were recruited from an outpatient clinic of a hospital in Hong Kong. The findings revealed that patients usually tried to fit in with their care-giver’s spiritual perspective, in order to preserve family harmony and supports. They would then experience further psychological distress that impeded their recovery. Meanwhile, among the dyads, the mutual understanding and respect on spirituality helped facilitate patients’ recovery. Care-givers should be more attentive and open to patients’ spiritual needs. Implications for clinical practice were discussed.