IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socpsy/v69y2023i1p190-199.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Loneliness in the presence of others: A mixed-method study of social networks of caregivers of patients with severe mental disorders

Author

Listed:
  • Maryam Tabatabaee
  • Reza Yousefi Nooraie
  • Ardavan Mohammad Aghaei
  • Yasna Rostam-Abadi
  • Mina Ansari
  • Shamim Sharifi
  • Vandad Sharifi

Abstract

Background: One in four families has at least one member with a mental disorder and families are the main caregivers in most patients in low and middle-income countries. Caregivers experience disruption in their routine lives, increased responsibilities, increased need for support, and changes in their network. The role of personal support networks in the health and burden of the caregivers is complex and depends on the context, cultural and socioeconomical variables. In this study, we aimed to investigate the personal support network of caregivers of patients with severe mental illness in Iran. Methods: By using a mixed-methods design, we focused on the structure and composition of caregiver networks, as well as self-perceived caregiver support. Results: We found that the support network of caregivers was mostly composed of immediate family members whom themselves were selectively chosen as a result of the multidimensional process of interaction between stigma, availability, and the perceived needs of caregivers. The participants mentioned economic and instrumental supports more frequently than emotional support, probably reflecting their unmet basic needs. Advocacy for providing formal systemic supports to caregivers, as well as interventions that expand caregivers personal support network is recommended. Conclusions: Most participants of the study were relatively isolated and had a small network of support, mostly composed of immediate family members. Stigma was a serious source of family distress for caregivers and a limiting factor in social relationships.

Suggested Citation

  • Maryam Tabatabaee & Reza Yousefi Nooraie & Ardavan Mohammad Aghaei & Yasna Rostam-Abadi & Mina Ansari & Shamim Sharifi & Vandad Sharifi, 2023. "Loneliness in the presence of others: A mixed-method study of social networks of caregivers of patients with severe mental disorders," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 69(1), pages 190-199, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:69:y:2023:i:1:p:190-199
    DOI: 10.1177/00207640221077580
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00207640221077580
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/00207640221077580?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yousefi Nooraie, Reza & Thompson, Bronwyn & D’Silva, Chelsea & Zenlea, Ian & Tabatabaee, Maryam & Mohammad Aghaei, Ardavan, 2021. "A fused mixed-methods approach to thematic analysis of personal networks: Two case studies of caregiver support networks," Network Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(2), pages 236-253, June.
    2. Ohaeri, Jude U., 1998. "Perception of the social support role of the extended family network by some Nigerians with schizophrenia and affective disorders," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 47(10), pages 1463-1472, November.
    3. Angell, Beth & Bolden, Galina B., 2015. "Justifying medication decisions in mental health care: Psychiatrists' accounts for treatment recommendations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 44-56.
    4. Rafael del-Pino-Casado & Emilia Priego-Cubero & Catalina López-Martínez & Vasiliki Orgeta, 2021. "Subjective caregiver burden and anxiety in informal caregivers: A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-20, March.
    5. Hollstein, Betina & Töpfer, Tom & Pfeffer, Jürgen, 2020. "Collecting egocentric network data with visual tools: A comparative study," Network Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(2), pages 223-250, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Joel O. Goldberg & Suzanne A. McKeag & Alison L. Rose & Heather Lumsden-Ruegg & Gordon L. Flett, 2023. "Too Close for Comfort: Stigma by Association in Family Members Who Live with Relatives with Mental Illness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-10, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kieren J. Egan & Kathryn A. McMillan & Marilyn Lennon & Lisa McCann & Roma Maguire, 2021. "Building a Research Roadmap for Caregiver Innovation: Findings from a Multi-Stakeholder Consultation and Evaluation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-18, November.
    2. Flore, Jacinthe & Kokanović, Renata & Callard, Felicity & Broom, Alex & Duff, Cameron, 2019. "Unravelling subjectivity, embodied experience and (taking) psychotropic medication," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 66-73.
    3. Araviinthansai Subramaniam & Kalyani Kirtikar Mehta, 2024. "Exploring the Lived Experiences of Caregiving for Older Family Members by Young Caregivers in Singapore: Transition, Trials, and Tribulations," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(2), pages 1, February.
    4. Sharon Anderson & Jasneet Parmar & Tanya L’Heureux & Bonnie Dobbs & Lesley Charles & Peter George J. Tian, 2022. "Family Caregiving during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada: A Mediation Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-15, July.
    5. David Feligreras-Alcalá & María del Pilar Cazalilla-López & Rafael del-Pino-Casado & Antonio Frías-Osuna, 2021. "Validity and Reliability of the Caregiver Strain Index Scale in Women during the Puerperium in Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-11, March.
    6. Maria Shuk Yu Hung & Stanley Kam Ki Lam & Liliane Chui King Chan & Sisi Pui Shan Liu & Meyrick Chum Ming Chow, 2021. "The Psychological and Quality of Life Impacts on Women in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-12, June.
    7. Patrick Janson & Kristina Willeke & Lisa Zaibert & Andrea Budnick & Anne Berghöfer & Sarah Kittel-Schneider & Peter U. Heuschmann & Andreas Zapf & Manfred Wildner & Carolin Stupp & Thomas Keil, 2022. "Mortality, Morbidity and Health-Related Outcomes in Informal Caregivers Compared to Non-Caregivers: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-25, May.
    8. Inmaculada Valero-Cantero & Cristina Casals & Milagrosa Espinar-Toledo & Francisco Javier Barón-López & Francisco Javier Martínez-Valero & Nuria García-Agua Soler & María Ángeles Vázquez-Sánchez, 2023. "Effect of Self-Chosen Music in Alleviating the Burden on Family Caregivers of Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Randomised Controlled Trial," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-10, March.
    9. Weiste, Elina & Stevanovic, Melisa & Valkeapää, Taina & Valkiaranta, Kaisa & Lindholm, Camilla, 2021. "Discussing mental health difficulties in a “diagnosis free zone”," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    10. Magliano, Lorenza & Fiorillo, Andrea & Malangone, Claudio & De Rosa, Corrado & Maj, Mario, 2006. "Social network in long-term diseases: A comparative study in relatives of persons with schizophrenia and physical illnesses versus a sample from the general population," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(6), pages 1392-1402, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:69:y:2023:i:1:p:190-199. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.