The everyday family life of people with schizophrenia: caring at home

Abstract

This exploratory-descriptive study was performed using a qualitative approach with the objective of understanding the everyday family life regarding the experiences of taking care of schizophrenic individuals at home. The study was performed at the Psychosocial Care Center (CAPS III), located in Cascavel - PR, where we interviewed eight family members in the period from May to June 2009, using the following guiding question: “What does schizophrenia in your home mean?” The statements were subjected to thematic content analysis, which advanced the theme “Experiencing schizophrenia at home” and the subthemes “Feeling the need to share your burden”, “Sharing the prejudice” and “Feeling hopeless”. The analysis demonstrated that dealing with schizophrenia at home transcends the physical, spiritual, and social aspects, causing an overload on the family. We recommend broadening the care that is provided to these people in terms of their health care needs, so that the patient, family members and health team can, together, find the path towards comprehensive health care.

Descriptors: Family Relations; Nursing Care; Schizophrenia; Psychiatric Nursing.