Premium
Evaluating Outcome Domains Assessing Caregivers of Individuals with Mental Illness: A Review
Author(s) -
Gelkopf Marc,
Roe David
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/famp.12056
Subject(s) - mental illness , psychology , medline , clinical psychology , stigma (botany) , mental health , psychiatry , political science , law
In this article, we describe the properties and consider the outcome dimensions of a collection of self‐administered questionnaires that assess caregivers of offspring with mental illness. To this end, we searched the MEDLINE , Web of Science, and Psyc INFO databases, as well as reference lists of studies published between 1980 and 2012. We reviewed 43 instruments, and found multiple outcome domains, associated with either objective burden or subjective burden, or both. A number of tools captured additional negative aspects of caregiving (e.g., strain, stress, and worrying) as well as positive aspects (e.g., personal growth, strength, support, rewards, and satisfaction), supplemented by measures assessing caregivers' perceptions and attitudes toward their offspring with SMI (e.g., insight, stigma, and efficacy). This current review of existing measures and their specific domains contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the caregiving experience and allows both clinicians and researchers to select the most appropriate measurement tools for their purposes.