Lived Experience of Primary Caregivers of People with Mental Disability / 정신간호학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This phenomenological study was done to explore in-depth understanding of the lived experience of primary caregivers of people with mental illness. METHODS: Participants were 7 primary caregivers and data were collected from November 2017 to February 2018. Giorgi's phenomenological method was used in this study. The caregiving experiences were categorized into separate types of situational structures in terms of specific and general descriptions. RESULTS: Six clusters and fourteen sub-clusters were identified. The 6 clusters were found to be ‘Embarrassing encounter with a disease’, ‘Sustained regret and self-defeating’, ‘Family life of constant oppression’, ‘Confinement of a mental illness’, ‘Nagging label of mental illness’, and ‘Recognizing the disease as a fate and taking courage’. CONCLUSION: The study findings emphasize the importance of both local and national support and the provision of information designed for primary caregivers of people with mental disability. Psychiatric nurses should understand and consider the growing number of increasing social prejudices, stigma, and caregiver burden so as to improve interpersonal relationships brought about by mental illness.