Quality of Life of people with Schizophrenia: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic mental disorder that causes many psychosocial problems. In order to reveal these problems, it is necessary to measure the quality of life of people with schizophrenia. AIM: The aim of this meta-analysis is to compare the quality of life of people with schizophrenia and healthy subjects. METHODS: Literature search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection database including the dates of January 2000 and March 2021. The systematic search provided 464 potentially relevant studies. The final sample consisted of 18 studies. RESULTS: The results of using a random effects model for analysis indicated that schizophrenia subjects showed considerably lower quality of life scores compared to healthy controls. CONCLUSION: Determining the quality of people with schizophrenia will help us to create effective psychosocial intervention programs.

Challenges and needs of informal caregivers in elderly care: Qualitative research in four European countries, the TRACE project.

BACKGROUND: Providing informal care may affects caregivers' life in different ways. Determining the needs of caregivers and supporting them can improve both the quality of life of the caregivers, as well as the elderly they take care of. OBJECTIVE: To explore the experiences and needs of the informal caregivers in four countries. DESIGN: Qualitative research method was used in the study. METHODS: The qualitative data was collected through focus groups and individual interviews between December 2016-May 2017. In all countries interviews were conducted in the mother language of the informants. Informants of the qualitative research were adult people who take primary care of an individual with chronic diseases, aged 65 years or older. Data were collected from 72 informal caregivers from four European countries. Inductive content analysis was performed. RESULTS: Informal caregivers identified 2 themes, 5 subthemes, 19 categories and 7 subtcategories. The themes highlighted two major issues: informal caregiver's challenges and needs related to the management of care of elderly and caregivers' personal needs. CONCLUSION: The important and charming results of the present study are, difficulties of managing caregiver's own life, and coping with emotions are common in four countries. Identifying challenges and needs of informal caregivers enable healthcare professionals to develop care strategies and plan interventions focused to support and help to reduce the burden of care for elderly with chronic diseases.

Is training for informal caregivers and their older persons helpful? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The steady increase in the number of people suffering from chronic diseases and increasing life expectancy raises new demands on health care. At the same time, the need for informal caregivers is increasing. This study aims to perform a systematic review of the methodologies used to identify effect of different types of training on informal caregivers and their older persons. METHODS: MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL and Ovid were searched from December 2016 and April 2017. The following keywords were used; "informal caregiver", "training" "elderly", older persons". Identified publications were screened by using the following inclusion criteria; systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, prospective cohort and multicentre studies, English language full text journals, samples or interventions that included caregivers of older persons and published in last 10 years. RESULTS: Twenty four studies (12 randomised control trials, 8 intervention studies and 4 systematic reviews) were included. Most of the randomized controlled trials involved both caregivers and elderly. Pretests and post-tests were used in intervention studies (5 out of the 8 studies). ICT-based, psychosocial interventions on family caregivers' education program for caregivers were applied. Caregivers following a supportive educative learning had a significantly better quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this systematic review suggest that support interventions for caregivers can be effective in reducing caregivers' stress, with a consequent improvement of the quality of care. However, results are based on relatively small studies, reporting somewhat controversial findings supporting the need to perform further research in this field.

The experiences of Turkish families caring for individuals with Schizophrenia: A qualitative inquiry.

BACKGROUND: In Turkey, individuals with schizophrenia usually live with their families. Therefore, families are main caregivers and face psychological, financial and social problems. AIM: The aim of this study is to understand the personal burdens and coping strategies, and social support affecting the families that provide care to the individuals with schizophrenia. METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 members of 12 families. RESULTS: Four themes were formed: learning and accepting the disorder, caregiving, social dimensions and service dimensions. Families have a problem with accepting this order and caregiving affects their quality of life both financially and socially. As schizophrenia is one of the reasons for being isolated from community, families prefer hiding it. Although families are satisfied with community-based systems, they need long-term solution, training and financial aid. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce the burden, family therapies, education and psychological support should be provided for families, and job opportunities, long-term caregiving services and psychological support should be provided for individuals with schizophrenia.

[Lessons Learned from Experiencing Mavi At Café (Blue Horse Café) during Six Years: A Qualitative Analysis of Factors Contributing to Recovery from the Perspective of Schizophrenia Patients]. / Mavi At Kafe'nin 6 Yilda Ögrettikleri: Sizofreni Hastalarinin Gözünden Iyilesmeye Katkida Bulunan Etmenler-Nitel Bir Analiz.

OBJECTIVE: In recent years, the recovery-oriented approaches (along with experiences and thoughts of patients and patient's relatives) have been taken into account for establishing mental health services and policies. This study aims to identify the factors contributing to recovery, as observed from the perspective of schizophrenia patients working at The Blue Horse Café which was founded by the Federation of Schizophrenia Associations. METHOD: The sample for the study consisted of 24 patients who worked at The Blue Horse Café. A phenomenological approach was used in the study, whereby interviews with patients were analyzed qualitatively. RESULTS: Certain common factors, which were expressed as having contributed to recovery, were identified from the perspective of schizophrenia patients. These factors are: 1-The fact that the setting is informal and welcoming without being constrictive; 2-Predominance of the human element; 3-Hope and encouragement; 4-Being cared about; 5-Being able to reach someone when in need of support; 6-Friendly sharing; 7-Having a purpose, assuming responsibility, and being motivated; and 8-Giving meaning to life. CONCLUSION: The findings may serve as a stimulus since schizophrenia patients that contribute to recovery give mental health professionals the opportunity to question there need for a change in their professional roles. Additionally, schizophrenia patients that have experienced The Blue Horse Café draw attention to certain points and these points can serve as a guide, especially for establishing the working METHODS of Community Mental Health Centers.