Living with schizophrenia: Health-related quality of life among primary family caregivers

Aims and objectives: To examine influencing factors of health-related quality of life in primary family caregivers of people with schizophrenia receiving inpatient psychiatric rehabilitation services. Background: Families, particularly primary family caregivers, have become more important than ever in mental health care. Yet, research on health-related quality of life among primarily family caregivers is limited. Design: A correlational study design was used. Methods: A convenience sample of 122 primary family caregivers participated in the study. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics, Pearson's product–moment correlation, t test, one-way analysis of variance and a hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results: Primary family caregivers who were parents, older, less educated, and had a lower monthly household income, increased affiliate stigma and decreased quality of family-centred care experienced poor health-related quality of life. Particularly, monthly household income, affiliate stigma and quality of family-centred care appeared to be the most critical determinants of health-related quality of life. Conclusions: Efforts to enhance satisfaction of life should focus on reducing affiliate stigma as well as increasing monthly household income and strengthening the quality of family-centred care. Relevance to clinical practice: Findings may assist in the development of culturally integrated rehabilitation programmes to decrease affiliate stigma and increase family engagement as a means of promoting quality of life for primary family caregivers living with people who have schizophrenia.