No abstract

Aim: With the current shift to community-centered mental health services, considerable research on the family burden of caring for patients with schizophrenia has been conducted in developed countries. However, there has been no investigation of families with Japanese or Korean sociocultural backgrounds. Therefore, the present study compared the caregiver burden and coping strategies of families of patients with schizophrenia in Japan and Korea in order to elucidate similarities and differences in the sociocultural factors that affect the care experience of families in Northeast Asia.Methods: A total of 99 Japanese (Nagasaki) and 92 Korean (Seoul, Daegu) family members of patients with schizophrenia were surveyed in regards to caregiver burden, coping strategies, and nursing awareness of the caregiver role regarding the patient with schizophrenia.Results: Analysis revealed the following: (i) although no difference in caregiver burden and coping strategy was observed between the countries, the nursing awareness of families' caregiver role was significantly higher in Japan than in Korea; (ii) caregiver burden was significantly associated with the patient's social functioning and care needs in both countries; and (iii) caregiver burden was significantly associated with reduction of social interests, coercion, avoidance, resignation, and nursing awareness of caregiver role in both countries. Conclusion:Although the nursing awareness of families' roles in caring for patients with schizophrenia differed between Japan and Korea, similar trends were observed for the causes of caregiver burden. These findings suggest that in order to provide effective support for reducing caregiver burden, the necessity of such support must be emphasized in both countries.

Introduction: It has been extensively documented that caregivers of persons who have serious and persistent mental disorders must successfully cope with many challenging problems in order to provide good care. However, little is known about the relationship between family stigma and strategies for coping with patients with schizophrenia. Therefore, the present study compared the personal stigma and coping strategies of families of patients with schizophrenia by examining the socio‐cultural factors that affect the care experience of families in Northeast Asian countries. Methods: Two self‐rating scales were used to compare personal stigma and coping strategies regarding family members of patients with schizophrenia in 47 Japanese and 92 Korean families. Respondents reported their personal attitudes (personal stigma) with respect to a case vignette that described a person with chronic schizophrenia. Results: Analysis revealed the following: 1) although no differences in coping strategies were observed between the countries, the personal stigma of families was significantly higher in Korea than in Japan; 2) coping strategies, such as positive communication, coercion, and avoidance, were significantly associated with personal stigma in Korean families; however, in Japanese families, resignation was significantly associated with personal stigma. Discussion: The present findings suggest that personal family stigma was higher in Korea than Japan, and the features associated with coping strategies differ between countries. It is important to determine the features of personal stigma that are associated with schizophrenia. Furthermore, education and support programs for families with schizophrenia based on trans‐cultural considerations must be emphasized in both countries.