Living with schizophrenia: a phenomenological study of the lived experience of caregivers of patients suffering from schizophrenia in Iran

Schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating mental disorders which can negatively affect patients and their families. This phenomenological study was undertaken to examine the lived experience of caregivers of schizophrenic patients in Tehran, Iran. Participants included 17 caregivers (males = 8 and females = 9) ranging in age from 29 to 80 years, who were selected using purposive sampling method. The semi-structured interview was used to collect the data. Colaizzi's seven-step method was followed to analyse the data. After analysing the data, three major domains emerged, experiences with schizophrenia, coping strategies, and unmet needs and expectations. As the results indicated, individuals with schizophrenia can cause various problems for caregivers and increase the caregiving burden. Accordingly, each caregiver employs coping strategies based on their conditions and still has unmet needs. Overall, findings indicate the need for facilitations and interventions to empower those living with schizophrenia, both caregivers and patients, to reduce the caregiving burden and improve the quality of life in both groups.