Psychological distress, perceived burden and quality of life in caregivers of persons with schizophrenia

Background: Caregiving in schizophrenia is a demanding and exhausting activity that challenges the physical and emotional resources of family caregivers. In traditional societies such as India, this is further compounded by illiteracy, ignorance and religious and cultural explanations attributed to mental illness. Aims: This study aimed to assess primary caregivers of persons with schizophrenia in terms of their perceived burden, manifestation of psychological distress and quality of life (QOL). Methods: The study used a quantitative cross-sectional design and survey methodology to collect data from caregivers in a hospital setting in Thanjavur, India. Standardized instruments were used to collect data from patients and their caregivers. Results: High perceived burden and lower QOL were seen in the majority of caregivers. They also manifested high levels of anxiety and depression. Patient characteristics such as age, gender, symptoms and duration of illness did not influence the perceived burden of caregivers, while positive and negative symptoms and the duration of illness were correlated with their QOL. Conclusions: Findings indicate the need for intervention for family caregivers to enable them cope more effectively with the demands of caregiving. Psychoeducation and participation in peer support groups are advocated as low resource and effective outcome strategies for caregivers in India

Resilience as a moderator of stress and burnout: A study of women social workers in India

It is well acknowledged that social workers encounter a considerable amount of work stress. Besides dealing with service users in complex life situations, social workers in India work in a context characterised by organisational constraints, poor pay scales and larger issues relating to the lack of recognition of, and ambivalence relating to, its status as a profession. This quantitative study explored issues such as the experience of stress, resilience and the professional quality of life in women social workers in Tiruchirappalli, South India, by administering standardised instruments. Implications for intervention have been discussed in the light of the findings

Reflective ability, empathy, and emotional intelligence in undergraduate social work students: a cross-sectional study from India

The extant literature indicates that social work is a high stress profession owing to multifarious and complex demands of practice. There is also evidence of stress experienced by student trainees who aspire for a career in social work. Working with service users and the distressing life scenarios encountered on placement often involves negotiating complex emotions and requires reflective skills. Effective practice requires rapport building skills and the ability to demonstrate empathy is a core skill for effective practice. While there is a plethora of Western literature on these issues, the Indian literature has not adequately explored them. Framed against this background, this quantitative study collected data from students of all three years of their undergraduate social work course from a ‘women only’ college in India. Standardised instruments to assess empathy, reflective ability and emotional intelligence were administered. Statistical tests revealed a higher manifestation of these dimensions in final-year students than those in the first year. Further it was seen that the total emotional intelligence and empathy scores were positively correlated. Implications of these findings for the education and training of social work students has also been discussed in this article

Resilience its nature and significance (a theoretical overview)

The Positive Psychology movement has turned the focus on the strengths that people bring to deal with trauma and crisis. The concept of resilience has assumed increasing significance in this regard and looks at how people withstand the effects of adversity and return to a state of normalcy. The understanding of resilience has been approached from several disciplinary perspectives resulting in a plethora of definitions and explanations. It has been regarded as a personality attribute by some and a contextual disposition by others. This theoretical overview adopts a historical approach and seeks to consolidate and synthesise key points in the understanding of resilience. It examines the multi-faceted nature of resilience and other related concepts as detailed in the extant literature. Characteristics of resilient people and its importance in coping have also been discussed. The bio-psychosocial nature of resilience is explored in this paper with reference to the ecosystems perspective. The concluding section briefly outlines implications for intervention

Stress, anxiety, resilience and coping in social work students (a study from India)

Social work is a stressful occupation but continues to attract large numbers of students every year. This study was conducted by undergraduate students of all three cohorts at a women’s-only college in Tiruchirapalli in South India (N = 73). Standardised instruments to assess stress, anxiety, resilience and coping were administered. It was seen that anxiety and stress levels were relatively higher in the first- and third-year students while compared to those in the second year of their course, while resilience and coping was relatively low in the first-year group. Correlations were significantly positive for the stress and anxiety scores as well as the coping and resilience scores. However, it was seen that only the anxiety scores significantly predicted the manifestation of stress in the students. Implications of the findings and the limitations of the study have also been discussed

Predictors of empathy in women social workers

Summary This study explored the manifestation of reflective ability, emotional intelligence and empathy in 120 women social workers in Tiruchirappalli, India. A cross-sectional quantitative design was used and the Emotional Intelligence Scale, Groningen Reflective Ability Scale and the Empathy Assessment Index were administered to assess the manifestation of these dimensions. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify predictors of empathy. Findings Based on mean scores, the majority of respondents were classified as being ‘high’ in terms of emotional intelligence and reflective ability. Respondents of different age groups showed a significant difference in terms of the manifestation of empathy. Age, self-reflection and appraisal and expression of emotions were extracted as significant predictors of empathy. Application The article discusses the importance of these professional attributes for effective practice and the role of academic institutions and social work organisations in fostering the development of these dimensions in social work practitioners

Quality of Life Determinants in Family Caregivers of People with Schizophrenia (A Quantitative Study from India)

Family caregivers play a crucial role in providing support for people with mental health conditions such as schizophrenia. This has implications for their own mental health as well as their quality of life (QOL). This study seeks to ascertain the role played by social support and coping in influencing the quality of life of family caregivers of people with schizophrenia (PWS). A quantitative design was used to compare caregivers of PWS with those having general medical conditions. Standardised instruments were administered to both groups in a clinical setting in India using survey methodology. Findings indicate poorer coping skills and quality of life and lesser social support in the caregivers of PWS. The study also evidences the interaction between social support and coping in influencing QOL in family caregivers. Our results indicate that it is neither social support by itself nor the overall coping efforts of the caregivers, but the interaction between the two that ultimately determines QOL. It is hence important that psychotherapeutic efforts are directed in a two-pronged effort to simultaneously enhance coping strategies as well as to ensure the provision of adequate social support mechanisms for informal caregivers of people with schizophrenia. <br/

Predictors of Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction in Social Workers (A cross-sectional quantitative study from India)

Heightened stress levels are experienced and reported by social work practitioners worldwide and issues such as secondary traumatic stress, burnout and compassion fatigue are terms increasingly being used in the context of social work practice. This study sought to investigate factors that influence compassion fatigue as well as compassion satisfaction in social workers. It was conducted in two cities in south India with a sample of 73 social workers. Standardised instruments were administered to assess compassion fatigue as well as compassion satisfaction besides measures to identify the manifestation of stress and resilience in the respondents. Findings indicate high levels of stress and resilience and significant manifestation of compassion fatigue and burnout levels in the sample studied. It was also observed that the interaction effect between resilience and stress significantly explained the manifestation of compassion fatigue but not that of compassion satisfaction. Implications of these findings have been discussed in terms of influencing individual and organisational factors to enhance resilience, deal more effectively with work-related stress, and reduce burnout and compassion fatigue. This will in the long run bode well for the wellbeing of social workers besides potentially impacting the quality-of-service provision

Moderators and Mediators of Distress and Positive Coping in Undergraduate Students

Students in higher education face considerable amount of stress relating to academic demands, family issues and several other factors well documented in the literature. Issues relating to resilience and coping are important in this regard. Emotional intelligence is acknowledged as an attribute that aids one’s overall adjustment. This study was conducted in a college for women students in India.The current study sought to understand stress experienced by undergraduate students along with an assessment of the extent of resilience, coping and emotional intelligence manifested in them. We were also interested in understanding the role played by resilience and emotional intelligence in the pathway from psychological distress to coping. A longitudinal design was used to assess change in these attributes over time as students moved from course entry to completion. A quantitative design was used and data collected using survey methodology. Data were collected from sixty-four students from two undergraduate programmes using standardised instruments to measure the key variables of the study.A significant change in emotional intelligence scores was seen at the point of course completion. It was also seen that resilience exerted a significant direct effect on emotional intelligence and both moderated as well as mediated the pathway between distress and positive coping. Resilience is a key variable that buffers the impact of stress as well as determines the efficacy of coping. Measures to strengthen student resilience would have significant benefits in terms of mitigating the effect of stress for students