Abstract
Mental disorders are increasingly recognised as leading causes of disease burdens
globally, and mental illness can be disabling and limit patients’ functionality in different
aspects of life. Thus, care and support are required for these patients. Patients living
with mental illnesses have a lower quality of life than the general population because
their mental illness makes it harder for them to accomplish many of their daily tasks,
reducing their level of independence, and significantly interfering with daily life
activities. The reduced quality of life means these individuals generally live with their
family caregivers, and family members are the main caregivers of people living with a
chronic mental illness. However, the demands of family caregiving can create
significant stress for family caregivers and affect their overall quality of life. Apart from
the burden of caregiving, they also have to bear with the behavioural disturbances and
experiences of violence from their relatives living with a chronic mental illness.
The overall purpose of this study was to develop a psychosocial support programme
for family caregivers to manage their experienced violence from their relatives living
with a chronic mental illness. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, phenomenological
and contextual design was used. The research took place over three phases. In Phase
One, a conceptual framework was developed from the findings of the researchers’
master’s project. In Phase Two, a psychosocial support programme was developed
for family caregivers to manage experienced violence from their relatives living with a
mental illness. Lastly, in Phase Three, the psychosocial support programme was
implemented with family caregivers and evaluated. Family caregivers were
purposively selected to participate in the evaluation of the psychosocial support
programme. The programme was evaluated immediately after the workshop and at
least three months after its implementation. Phenomenological, in-depth, interviews
were conducted with family caregivers, and data were analysed thematically. The
criteria for trustworthiness, namely credibility, transferability, dependability,
confirmability and authenticity were applied throughout the research process. Ethical
considerations of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice were adhered
to throughout the study to protect the participants. The significant contribution of this
study was the conceptual framework development and the developed psychosocial
v
support programme for family caregivers to manage experienced violence from
relatives living with a chronic mental illness.