Burden and Coping Strategies among Caregivers of Persons with Severe Mental Illness: Implication for Counseling Intervention.
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Date
2023-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study envisioned to assess the experiences of caregivers of people living with SMI by examining the burdens that they face and their coping strategies, across demographic variables. It was conducted on caregivers of people with SMI at Sitota for Mental Health Care and Lebeza Psychiatric Center. Purposive sampling was used as a sampling technique. The data was gathered from 117 participants (69 Female and 48 Male) through the use of self-report questionnaires. The questionnaire consisted of three sections which were demographic variables, Zarit Burden Interview and the Brief COPE inventory. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software package. The collected data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. It used frequency and percentiles tables, independent t-test, One-way ANOVA, Person correlation and multiple linear regressions. The result indicated, 72 (61.5%) reported little or no burden, 34 (29.1%) reported mild to moderate burden, 10 (8.5%) reported moderate to severe burden and 1 (0.9%) caregiver reported severe burden. Regarding coping, caregivers used more problem-focused strategies. Specifically, religion, planning and using instrumental assistance were highly used. In terms of the correlation between burden and coping the finding indicates a moderate, positive and significant correlation. The result of the regression suggested that the coping strategies of the caregiver explained 20.8% of the variance, R2=.208, F(1,115)= 30.19, p<.001. Thus, the coping strategies of the caregivers significantly predicted the caregiver’s burden, β=0.81, t=5.49, p<.001. For subscales of coping strategies, the result of the regression suggested that the coping strategies of the caregiver explained 11.7% and 18% of the variance for problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies respectively p<.001. All the relevant demographic variable does not have significant difference with in themselves in terms of burden and coping strategies. Overall, the results demonstrated that while no burden among caregivers, coping strategy is a predictor of burden and the demographic variables do not have any difference in burden with in them. It is recommended to study burden in relation to resilience and other specific severe mental illnesses.
Key words; Burden, Caregiver, Coping Strategies