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dc.contributor.authorKalhovde, Anne Martha
dc.contributor.authorKitzmüller, Gabriele
dc.date.accessioned2023-12-04T08:56:43Z
dc.date.available2023-12-04T08:56:43Z
dc.date.issued2023-10-31
dc.description.abstractSerious mental illness (SMI) can significantly impact the lives of individuals and their families. These families often experience great emotional distress over time due to the early onset of SMI, which in turn leads to long-term trajectories and only partial recovery. However, we do not fully understand the emotional distress of family caregivers. Thus, our aim was to enrich the understanding of the lived experiences of family caregivers’ emotional trajectories of distress while caring for persons with SMI. We conducted a secondary analysis using a hermeneutic approach to the narratives of seven family caregivers from a study on living with voices unheard by others. Participants’ trajectories of emotional distress came forth as being thrust on an unpredictable, intensely worrisome, and indefinite journey. The following themes highlighted this tumultuous journey: fumbling in the dark trying to grasp the incomprehensible, “on your toes”—enduring unpredictability, facing different forms of fear, and battling waves of sadness and regret. Caregivers face multiple threats to their well-being and sometimes even to their health. Their distress appeared to vary according to their relationship with the person with SMI, whether they lived with the ill person, illness trajectory, and amount of violent or suicidal behavior. The results underscore the need for individualized and timely information, opportunities for dialogue with healthcare providers with and without the person with SMI, and inclusion in care planning. Caregivers who have experienced trauma, threats of violence, and rejection require special attention.en_US
dc.identifier.citationKalhovde, Kitzmüller. Family Caregivers’ Trajectories of Distress While Caring for a Person With Serious Mental Illness. Qualitative Health Research. 2023en_US
dc.identifier.cristinIDFRIDAID 2196252
dc.identifier.doi10.1177/10497323231203627
dc.identifier.issn1049-7323
dc.identifier.issn1552-7557
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/31919
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherSageen_US
dc.relation.journalQualitative Health Research
dc.rights.accessRightsopenAccessen_US
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2023 The Author(s)en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0en_US
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)en_US
dc.titleFamily Caregivers’ Trajectories of Distress While Caring for a Person With Serious Mental Illnessen_US
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.typeTidsskriftartikkelen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US


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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)