M.Cur. / Schizophrenia is a devastating mental illness and probably the most distressing and disabling mental disorder. It is not the condition of the ill person alone but also of the family which is placed in a crucial and pivotal role and which must take care of the ill relative with schizophrenia. This is so because of the disillusional thinking, altered thought process and distractions of internal stimuli that may interfere with the planning, commitment and rationale for actions, making it difficult for everyone involved. The effects of the illness may be confusing and shocking to families. Parents suffer from great disruptions to their lives and children can struggle with the implications of having a parent suffering from schizophrenia. Siblings of the ill person suffering from chronic schizophrenia are not spared, they even suffer because issues of their own survivorship. The family becomes case managers and primary carers. Family caregivers are vulnerable to emotional manipulation by their mentally ill relative. They are rarely trained/helped to manage difficult circumstances. The family members are called upon for provision of psychological and social therapies, occupational and recreational therapy and attendant care for which they are not trained. The family is also seriously affected and distressed because of the effect schizophrenia has on their relative and the burden of caring. Coping with schizophrenia can especially be difficult for relatives who remember their relative before he or she became ill, giving rise to chronic grieving and sorrow and because of the cyclic nature of schizophrenia giving no definite end point or lengthy respite to complete mourning. The reminders of the "might have been" can be distressing. There is an obvious need for research on the family's experience. It is essential to understand their emotional tones and specific needs in relation to living with a member suffering from chronic schizophrenia as well as to formulate guidelines. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe family member's experiences and to formulate guidelines of care for families living with a member with chronic schizophrenia. The research design was based on qualitative research because of its explorative descriptive and contextual nature. Data were collected by means of indepth phenomenological interviews and naïve sketches. Field notes were written for reflecting upon methods used and the personal notes for the researcher's personal inflections. Literature was used to compare and complement the results. Guba's model on trustworthiness ensured the trustworthiness of the research.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:9950 |
| Date | 11 September 2012 |
| Creators | Moahi, Sefentse |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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