Support Needs for Family Caregivers of Clients with Mental Illness in Iran: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT

This paper explored the support needs of family caregivers of people living with a mental illness in Iran. This descriptive study focused on the experiences of 20 family caregivers as well as the views of 29 professional support workers through individual face-to-face interviews. From these interviews three key themes emerged in regards to the care needs of family caregivers: (i) social support; (ii) emotional support; and (iii) safety and security. These themes highlighted the complex role of caring for a family member with a mental illness and the emotional, social and economic challenges that these caregivers experienced as a result. Iranian caregivers garnered support not only from other family members but also from neighbors and religious leaders but lacked the much needed respite care found in western countries. This research study highlighted the importance of ensuring that the caregivers themselves receive appropriate and adequate support to fulfill their caregiving role.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement

This study is derived from a Ph.D. thesis of Nursing sponsored by the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The authors are thankful to the Vice-chancellor and participants. We also thank Sancia West for her review of an earlier draft of this article.

Author contributions

All authors have agreed on the final version and meet at least one of the following criteria recommended by the ICMJE (http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/)]

•Substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data or analysis and interpretation of data; drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.