Relationships Among Perceived Burden, Depressive Cognitions, Resourcefulness, and Quality of Life in Female Relatives of Seriously Mentally Ill Adults

Abstract

Providing care and support to a seriously mentally ill (SMI) family member can have deleterious effects on one's health and quality of life. This study explored relationships among perceived burden, depressive cognitions, resourcefulness, and quality of life in 60 African-American and Caucasian women family members of SMI adults. Caucasians reported greater burden than African-Americans; the groups were similar in depressive cognitions, resourcefulness, and quality of life. In Caucasians and African-Americans, burden correlated with depressive cognitions and both correlated with poorer mental health. In African-Americans, burden also correlated with lower personal resourcefulness and both correlated with poorer mental health. The findings suggest a mediating role by depressive cognitions for both groups and by resourcefulness in African-Americans. Thus, both groups of women may benefit from positive thinking while African-Americans also may benefit from learning personal resourcefulness skills.

Sense of Coherence and Quality of Life in Women Family Members of the Seriously Mentally Ill

“…The results of that study have been reported elsewhere (Zauszniewski, Suresky, & Bekhet, 2006a, 2006b.…”

Resilience in Family Members of Persons with Serious Mental Illness

“…In a follow-up study of the same women, Zauszniewski and colleagues 27 found that African American and white women reported similar resourcefulness skills. However, in African Americans, greater caregiver burden was associated with lower resourcefulness (r = -0.38, p < .0010) and lower resourcefulness correlated with poorer mental health (r = 0.53, p < .001), suggesting that resourcefulness may mediate the adverse effects of caregiver burden on mental health.…”

“…24 They may perceive caregiving as burdensome or stressful, [25][26][27] and they report greater feelings of strain, 27 more stressful life events, 28 and greater disruption in family functioning. 27 Perlick and colleagues 25 found a high use of avoidance coping strategies by family members of persons with mental illness. Although avoidance coping may be a less-than-optimal method for coping, it is possible that this coping method may also be protective; thus, risk factors in one context may be protective in another.…”

“…The studies also had some limitations, such as convenience samples, cross-sectional design, and small sample sizes. 18,27,34 Longitudinal studies of larger and more diverse samples of family members of mentally ill persons, including men and persons from racial/ethnic minorities, are recommended. Intervention studies that teach cognitive behavioral self-help and help-seeking skills are also needed.…”

“…21,59 Two studies of family members found that enhanced quality of life was associated with indicators of resilience. 26,27 Greater resilience may also be linked with improvement in family members' relationships with their relative with a psychiatric diagnosis. 19 Resilience has also been associated with greater family adaptation 48 and improvement in family functioning.…”