The Faces of Familism in Caregiving for Relatives with Schizophrenia in a Sample
Research suggests that the relationship between family caregivers and relatives with schizophrenia varies across cultures. Mexican American family caregivers are more emotionally involved and they display more warmth towards their relatives with schizophrenia when compared to European American family caregivers. The cultural value of familism, defined as attitudes and behaviors of loyalty, solidarity and reciprocity among members of the nuclear and extended family, has been widely used as an explanation for such differences in caregiving. In this study, we examined the role of familism in caregiving for a relative with schizophrenia among Mexican families. Dyads (N=10) of family caregivers and their relatives with schizophrenia were recruited. Qualitative interviews were administered to look for conceptualization of familism; in addition, we administered the Familism Scale to measure familism quantitatively. Moreover we measured psychological distress with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and burden with the Zarit Burden Scale. Additionally, we used the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID) with our sample of patients to confirm a diagnosis of schizophrenia and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) to assess the severity in symptomatology. Moreover, qualitative narratives showed that family caregivers did not follow the cultural value of familism as described in the literature. Family caregivers did not follow the idea of sacrificing one's own needs for those of their relative with schizophrenia as well as maintaining familial interconnectedness. Findings indicate the need for psychoeducation and formal sources of support for Mexican Americans caring for a relative with mental illness.
School:
University of Texas at San Antonio
Department:
Psychology
Research Advisor:
Jorge Ramirez
Department of Research Advisor:
Psychology
Year of Publication:
2008