A Systematic Review Among Caregivers of Schizophrenia Patients and The Role of Resilience in Emotional Exhaustion

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric mental disorder that causes fragmentation of some psychological functions like emotion, perception, thought, motivation, and behavior. The caregiver plays an important role in roviding caregiving services to schizophrenia patients. They were experiencing emotional exhaustion from caregiving. Caregivers’ resilience also decreases the patient’s emotional exhaustion. This study examines a decade’s worth of research on caregiving resilience and emotional exhaustion in schizophrenia patients in developed countries. We searched six databases (MedLine, ProQuest, PsycInfo, Embase, Google Scholar, and Web of Science) for terms related to schizophrenia, caring for others, and mental health. Caregivers’ psychological conditions and general well-being were negatively impacted by increased burden, physical and mental fatigue, diminishing social lives, safety worries, and insufficient assistance (formal and informal). Findings suggest that improving coping skills and focusing on the good aspects of caregiving can mitigate these effects. To promote caregiver mental health and wellbeing, improved programs and interventions addressing stress and burden, mobilizing both official and personal support, and improving coping skills and resiliency are needed.