The Family Caregiver Burden of a Severely Mentally Ill Family Member and Social Support Cross-cultural, Cross-national Study

The Family Caregiver Burden of a Severely Mentally Ill Family Member and Social Support Cross-cultural, Cross-national Study

This research project is a first-ever cross-cultural and cross-national study of Family Caregiver Burden and Social Support in those involved in the care of family members suffering severe and chronic mental illness. 122 caregivers in Taipei, Taiwan and Los Angeles, California were interviewed within a relatively short interval in 1991. 52 caregivers were Chinese living in Taipei; 35 were Chinese caregivers living in Los Angeles; 35 were Caucasian caregivers living in Los Angeles. 8 bio-psycho-social variables were measured for each subject and these findings along with demographic and path analysis. The total caregiver burden was essentially the same for each of the three caregiver groups but there were substantial differences in the path of bio-psycho-social variables contributing to burden. The correlation coefficient between the satisfaction of social network and burden was significant for both Chinese groups but not for the Caucasian group. The correlation coefficient between the satisfaction of caregiver social support and burden was significant for both Los Angeles groups but not the Taipei Chinese group. t value was of significance between the satisfaction with social network and source of stress for both Chinese groups but this was less significant for the Caucasian sample. The 'Stress Restricted Model' was examined in the three groups. There were considerable differences in the path of bio-psycho-social variables with regard to burden. These differences indicated perception, stressor, and social resource variables play unique and apparently culturally-determined roles in caregiver burden and this, in turn, points to the importance of cultural issues in formulating treatment and support services both for the individuals with mental illness and their family caregivers. The findings of this research also point to possible strategic interventions aimed at alleviating the specific burden-producing circumstances that seem to befall individual patients and groups of caregivers but do not appear to be inevitable events.