The needs of family members caring for people living with mental illness: An integrated review

Abstract

Background: Family members caring for people living with mental illness (PLWMI) are prone to grapple with caregiver burden. The caregivers often contend with a decline in their mental and physical well-being while executing their role. This exploration aimed to understand the needs of family caregivers of PLWMI.

Aim: An integrative review was conducted to analyse the existing literature on the needs of family caregivers for PLWMI.

Method: The review adhered to the instructions provided by Toronto and Remington, drawing upon the guidance of Whittemore and Knafl. The search used four electronic databases: PubMed, African journals, EBSCOhost and Scopus. After screening 3253 references, 18 studies (10 qualitative, 4 quantitative and 4 mixed methods) were included.

Results: The review identified various needs of PLWMI caregivers, including the need for support (financial, social, peer and psychological), psychoeducation, community acceptance of family caregivers, and comprehensive family caregiver health assessments.

Conclusion: This review recognises the significance of addressing the needs of the caregivers of PLWMI to alleviate the impact of caregiver role strain. Promoting nursing care that recognises the importance of caregiver-oriented practice in healthcare is essential. This can help address the needs of the caregivers, enhance their ability to cope with caregiver role strain and promote a better quality of life.

Contribution: This review may inform policymakers to ensure the need for mental health practice to demonstrate knowledge in caring for caregivers of PLWMI. Furthermore, there is a need to integrate the management of PLWMI with that of the caregivers.