The broad spectrum of problems caused by caring for a patient with mental illness imposes a high burden on family caregivers. This can affect how they cope with their mentally ill family members. Identifying caregivers' experiences of barriers to coping is necessary to develop a program to help them overcome these challenges. This qualitative content analysis study explored barriers impeding family caregivers' ability to cope with their relatives diagnosed with severe mental illness (defined here as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, and bipolar affective disorders). Sixteen family caregivers were recruited using purposive sampling and interviewed using a semi-structured in-depth interview method. Data were analyzed by a conventional content analytic approach. Findings consisted of four major categories: the patient's isolation from everyday life, incomplete recovery, lack of support by the mental health care system, and stigmatization. Findings highlight the necessity of providing support for caregivers by the mental health care delivery service system.

Objectives This study aimed to identify coping strategies used by family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia and their determinants. Methods This was a descriptive correlational study. Participants were 225 family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia who were referred to the psychiatric clinic at one large teaching referral hospital in Iran. They were selected through purposive sampling method. Data collection tools were demographic and clinical data form, the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and the Family Coping Questionnaire (FCQ). Results The score of caregiver burden was 65.14 ± 9.17. Of 225 family caregivers, 23.11% used an avoiding coping strategy. There was a significant relationship between caregiver burden and coping strategies ( P < 0.001). The regression model showed that adaptive coping strategies were significantly associated with some demographic characteristics including age, education level, gender, employment status, losing the job because of caregiving responsibilities, perceived income adequacy, duration of illness, duration of caregiving and caregiver burden ( P < 0.05). Conclusion Family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia experience a high level of burden, which can put them at risk of using maladaptive coping strategies. Mental health professionals should plan programs that support both family caregivers and patients in clinical and community settings.

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Introduction: Medication nonadherence is highly prevalent in patients with bipolar disorders and often results in worsening disease prognosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of group psychoeducation on medication adherence in female patients with bipolar mood disorder type I. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 76 patients with bipolar mood disorder admitted in female psychiatric wards of Razi teaching hospital, Tabriz, Iran. The participants were selected by convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Patients in experimental group received 10 continuous 90 minutes sessions of psychoeducation, two times a week. Medication adherence was measured using the medicine check list and medication adherence rating scale (MARS) before and after intervention. Data analysis was performed with SPSS ver.13. Results: There was no significant difference between two groups regarding medication adherence before the intervention. After the study intervention, the mean scores of medication adherence check list and medication adherence rating scale in the experimental group were significantly higher than the control group. Conclusion: Since group psychoeducation was effective in improving patients' medication adherence, it could be recommended for psychiatric nurses to apply this intervention in the clinical setting.