Quality of Life Determinants in Family Caregivers of People with Schizophrenia (A Quantitative Study from India)

Family caregivers play a crucial role in providing support for people with mental health conditions such as schizophrenia. This has implications for their own mental health as well as their quality of life (QOL).
This study seeks to ascertain the role played by social support and coping in influencing the quality of life of family caregivers of people with schizophrenia (PWS). A quantitative design was used to compare caregivers of PWS with those having general medical conditions. Standardised instruments were administered to both groups in a clinical setting in India using survey methodology. Findings indicate poorer coping skills and quality of life and lesser social support in the caregivers of PWS. The study also evidences the interaction between social support and coping in influencing QOL in family caregivers. Our results indicate that it is neither social support by itself nor the overall coping efforts of the caregivers, but the interaction between the two that ultimately determines QOL. It is hence important that psychotherapeutic efforts are directed in a two-pronged effort to simultaneously enhance coping strategies as well as to ensure the provision of adequate social support mechanisms for informal caregivers of people with schizophrenia.