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Living with mental illness: Effects of professional support and personal control on caregiver burden
Author(s) -
Reinhard Susan C.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.4770170203
Subject(s) - feeling , caregiver burden , mental health , depression (economics) , multilevel model , psychology , perception , scale (ratio) , mental illness , family caregivers , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medicine , gerontology , social psychology , dementia , physics , disease , pathology , quantum mechanics , machine learning , neuroscience , computer science , economics , macroeconomics
Families of mentally ill persons often report feeling burdened, helpless, and ignored by mental health professionals. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among professional support, caregivers' personal sense of control, and burden. Ninety‐four caregivers rated support received in 11 areas, perceptions of control, and objective and subjective burdens. General well‐being measures included a depression scale (CES–D) and self‐reported physical health. Controlling for the relative's disruptive behaviors and selected caregiver characteristics, hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated that professional support selectively reduced burden. Practical advice on managing disruptive behaviors reduced objective burden (adjusted R 2 = .16, p < .001; R 2 increment = .04, p < .05), in part by enhancing personal control.