Well-being of the caregivers of the mentally ill

Current treatment policy in Finland has resulted in large numbers of ex-hospitalized psychiatric patients residing with family members or other caregivers in the community. However, research on the situation of these families has been lacking in Finland. The aim of this study was to examine the well-being of the caregivers in accordance with living arrangements and kinship relations. The subjects were 198 members of 3 self-help groups for relatives of the mentally ill. The well-being of the caregivers was measured with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Objective Burden Scale (OBS), and Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS). Caregivers living with the patient expressed more psychologic distress and objective burden and lower satisfaction with life than caregivers living apart from the patient. The distressed group of caregivers were spouses living with the patient. However, there were no differences in well-being between parents living with the patient and parents not living with the patient. Whether the mentally ill relative lives at home or elsewhere, the patient and family require support from mental health and social service professionals in the community. However, the services should be targeted in accordance with the different needs of caregivers and patients.