Factors Associated with Quality of Life in Relatives of Adults with Serious Mental Illness: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Caring for a family member with a serious mental illness often has an impact on the quality of life (QoL) of caregivers. This could have negative repercussions on their caring skills and thus affect the care provided to that individual. The aim of this paper is to identify current evidence on QoL factors affecting relatives of individuals suffering from serious mental illness. A systematic review related to the research question was conducted in six databases by two independent reviewers. The QoL factors of relatives include sociodemographic, contextual, psychological, physical, and patient factors. The findings are consistent with the results of previous research. Mental health professionals may support a family with a member diagnosed with a serious mental illness by enhancing their education about QoL factors, which would trigger and promote protective factors so that family members could assess and act on them on an ongoing basis.

Perceived mental health and emotional trajectories of long-term family caregivers of persons with mental conditions: A mixed-methods study

“…These findings suggest the need for holistic and family-centred care, looking not only at the person affected by the disorder's needs but also at the family caregivers, as the latter could be affected by caring and this could influence their quality of life (Lima-Rodríguez et al, 2022). Current evidence suggests that there is a need for comprehensive policies that address the family caregivers of people with different long term conditions, such as mental health disorders.…”

“…More support from mental health services could help caregivers to progress in their emotional trajectory towards coping and improve their caregiving knowledge and skills. This support could positively impact their quality of life, and thus improve the quality of life of the people they care for (Lima-Rodríguez et al, 2022;Zhou et al, 2021). Mental health nurses have a role in patients' and caregivers' education and in the promotion of psychological wellbeing.…”

“…A cross-sectional study undertaken with 454 caregivers of persons diagnosed with schizophrenia in Hong Kong concluded that 78 % had experienced anxiety and 45 % had insomnia (Wan & Wong, 2019), while another study carried out in Israel with 78 caregivers of people with chronic psychotic disorders identified depression in 26 % of the caregivers (Rachamim et al, 2022). A recent systematic review by Lima-Rodríguez et al (2022) concluded that anxiety, insomnia and depressive symptoms were associated with caregivers' quality of life. In this line, according to a cross-sectional study including 395 caregivers by Zhou et al (2021), the caregivers' psychological wellbeing facilitated active coping and seemed to be related to their caregiving knowledge and skills.…”

Understanding the Economic Value and Impacts on Informal Carers of People Living with Mental Health Conditions

“…As caring becomes a more intensive time-consuming activity, carers, particularly women and those living with care recipients, may end up withdrawing entirely from the labour force or education, as well as retiring early [ 8 , 9 ]. In addition, there are well-documented impacts on carer mental and physical health and quality of life [ 10 , 11 ]. They are also at greatest risk of being lonely than non-carers [ 12 ]; loneliness itself is a risk factor for further deterioration in carer physical [ 13 ] and mental health [ 14 ].…”

Effectiveness of the virtual psychosocial empowerment program on the quality of life of family caregivers of chronic mental disorders: a quasi-experimental study

“…Caregivers of chronic mental patients experience a high level of anxiety, depression, insomnia, poor social interaction, stigma, and the presence of many physical diseases, which reduce the quality of life of these people (7,8). Quality of life is de ned as a person's perception of self-position in life within the framework of the culture and value system in which he lives and about his goals, expectations, standards, and concerns (9). Various studies have reported poor quality of life for CMD caregivers (6, 10).…”