Investigation into the psychological resilience of family caregivers burdened with in-home treatment of patients with bipolar disorder

Abstract

Family members of patients with bipolar disorder experience burden associated with in-home treatment in Guangdong Province of China. This group of people is frequently being overlooked. The aim is to investigate into the levels of burden and the psychological resilience of these caregivers. 172 family caregivers were recruited from two local outpatient clinics using questionnaires for a descriptive study. Semi-structured interviews with 12 participants were also conducted to identify themes related to the difficulties, strengths, and limitations of caregiving. The caregiver burden was moderate (33.53±14.43) and their psychological resilience score (57.34±12.09) was below the national norm. The impact of caregivers' burden on the psychological resilience was statistically significant(P<0.05). Age, occupation, and the cumulative length of time for caregiving had different effects on levels of burden and resilience. The findings indicate more support is needed for the family caregivers. The geographical location limits the generalizability of the findings and sample size. Other constraints include the convenient sampling method and individual factors.