Predictors of Caregiver Satisfaction with Mental Health Services

Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine the relative contribution of three main factors (characteristics of services and service providers, characteristics of patients and caregivers, and impact of psychiatric illness) to caregiver satisfaction with services. Results of this study are based on the responses of 154 family caregivers of individuals with mental illnesses in Quebec, and indicate that these aspects play a predictive role in caregiver satisfaction with services. A multiple regression model explained 42% of the variance in satisfaction. Collaboration with professionals is the key determinant in the model, as it contributes more than any other variable to satisfaction. Results demonstrate the importance of obtaining a better understanding of caregivers' satisfaction with services in order to increase their involvement in community integration.

Assessment of Patient, Family and Staff Satisfaction in a Mental Health Service

“…The results concerning the sample of family caregivers contradict the findings of two international studies (Perreault et al, 2011;Stengard et al, 2000), which report high levels of dissatisfaction and corroborate Brazilian studies (Bandeira et al, 2011;Camilo et al, 2012;Santos & Cardoso, 2014). The family caregivers presented a high level of overall satisfaction and satisfaction according to the service's dimensions.…”

“…One relative became the primary informal caregiver of patients, providing assistance in daily living activities, administering medication, supervising problematic behavior, and supporting the autonomy of patients (Barroso, 2014;Tessler & Gamache, 2000). The family caregiver is, therefore, able to assess improvement presented by the patient in response to the treatment and to collaborate in the treatment designed by health providers (Bandeira, Silva, Camilo, & Felício, 2011;Perreault, Rousseau, Provencher, Roberts, & Milton, 2011). The responsibilities of the mental health staff became more diversified and intensified (Bandeira, 2014;Rebouças, Legay, & Abelha, 2007;Santos et al, 2011).…”

“…The satisfaction of families was the least studied (Bandeira et al, 2011;Perreault et al, 2011;Santos & Cardoso, 2014;Stengard, Honkonen, Koivisto, & Salokangas, 2000). In recent years, the World Health Organization (WHO, 2001) has encouraged assessments from multiple or integrative perspectives, including the simultaneous participation of all stakeholders: patients, their families, and the workers responsible for providing care.…”

Experiences of the psychiatric specialist health services – The perspective of relatives of inpatients with severe depression

“…This seems to be not only in the context of how they perceive the staffs' availability for the person who is depressed, but also for the relatives themselves. A closer and more inclusive collaboration with health professionals was found to be important, which corresponds with Perreault et al [5] and Schröder et al, [28] who found collaboration to be a key element and predictor of relatives' satisfaction with the mental health services. According to Rowe [36] and Weimand et al, [37] collaboration should be characterized by a more empathic communication in which mental health-care personnel encounter relatives with openness and interest.…”

“…[2] Collaboration between relatives and the mental health services is important, for the sake of the patient as well as for the relatives themselves, [3,4] contributing to the relatives' satisfaction with the services and easing their burden. [5] Depression is one of the 10 global diseases entailing the greatest loss of life quality and years of life, [6,7] and is estimated to affect 350 million people all over the world. [8] Depression can be a severe and life-threatening disease, and the number of patients with recurrent severe depression re-quiring treatment in hospital wards is found to be high.…”