Psychological burden, coping and quality of life of caregivers of patients with mental illness at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital in the Korley Klottey Municipality.

Abstract

Caregivers of patients with mental illness often experience a significant psychological burden that profoundly impacts their overall wellbeing and quality of life. The study explored the multifaceted difficulties that caregivers face in undertaking their caregiving activities and examined the nature and extent of the psychological burden, the coping strategies deployed, and the analysis of how these factors influenced the overall QoL of caregivers of patients with mental illness. The study employed the cross-sectional research design with a sample of 384 family caregivers of patients diagnosed with Schizophrenia, Anxiety and Depressive Disorders (ADD), Bipolar Affective Disorders (BAD), and Stress and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD). The outcome showed that caregivers of patients with mental illness experience a moderate level of depression (DASS-21 score of 19.88), extremely severe level of anxiety (DASS-21 score of 20.11), and severe level of stress (DASS-21 score of 26.22) on the DASS-21 scale. The results further showed that caregivers of patients with mental illness adopted positive reframing, emotional support, and planning as the most used adaptive coping strategies. The findings highlight the influence of demographic factors such as age, gender, marital status, and sociocultural factors in determining the quality of life of caregivers of patients with mental illness. Further, the study identified avoidant coping, and problem-focused coping as having both direct and indirect paths to depression and anxiety. The outcome of the study illustrates the need to design concrete programmes including social support programmes, creating a more convenient means for caregivers to seek counselling, and financial support. Other targeted programmes such as community-based volunteer networks or faith-based respite initiatives could be introduced to help reduce the burden on caregivers.