Conceptualization of Supportive Behaviors by Family Caregivers as Protective Factors for their Relatives with Schizophrenia
Established evidence on schizophrenia has shown psychosocial stress imposed by the caregiver of an afflicted individual to be influential in the course of the disorder. This concept explained by the expressed emotion (EE) paradigm suggests that patients residing in high EE households have an increased chance for relapse while low EE families are providing prosocial support that significantly minimizes the patient's chance for relapse. The proposed study aimed to conceptualize family benevolent factors that would enhance both the patient and family's mental wellness by promoting supportive behaviors that can ultimately lead to the schizophrenic individual's autonomy. 14 caregivers of schizophrenic patients were interviewed. Supportive behaviors were coded using the social support (SS) dimensions with Maslow's hierarchy of needs as a framework for the comprehensiveness of support provided by the caregiver. Socializing support was found to be exhibited significantly more by low expressed emotion families. This type of SS may serve to facilitate coping and competence in an individual because it provides companionship which may serve to fulfill Maslow's psychological needs. Future research should replicate this study with a larger sample size and attend to cross-cultural differences.
School:
University of Texas at San Antonio
Department:
Psychology
Research Advisor:
Jorge Ramirez
Department of Research Advisor:
Clinical Community Psychology
Year of Publication:
2003