Changing Health Beliefs on Causations of Mental Illness and Their Impacts on Family Burdens and the Mental Health of Chinese Caregivers in Hong Kong

Abstract

This study explores the types of health beliefs held by Chinese caregivers who have relatives suffering from a serious mental illness. It also examines relationships among Chinese health beliefs, family burdens, and the mental health of Chinese caregivers. Individual interviews using a structured questionnaire were administered to 125 Chinese caregivers. Correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were performed to examine the associations among health beliefs, family burdens, and the mental health of Chinese caregivers as well as the independent and combined effects of health beliefs and family burdens on the mental health of caregivers. Results showed that while family burdens correlated significantly with the mental health of caregivers, the physiological perspective was found to be negatively and significantly associated with the mental health of caregivers. Findings were explained in terms of a shift in the perceptions of responsibility concerning the causes of mental illness from a family and collective orientation to an individualistic one. Further studies are needed to examine how this individualistic orientation may affect family functioning and the mental state of relatives of people with serious mental illness.