The Outcome of Supporting Program for Caregivers of Schizophrenia Patients

Abstract

          This research has two main objectives: (1) to study the level of empowerment in the caregivers of Schizophrenia patients and (2) to compare the level of empowerment in the caregivers before and after participating in the empowerment program. The subjects in this study were the caregivers of patients receiving treatments at Galya Rajanagarindra Institute. These caregivers were of the ages between 35 and 60 years old. By purposive sampling, ten caregivers were selected and given an empowerment program and questionnaires that gathered general information along with an empowerment evaluation. To an analysis of the results from these questionnaires, descriptive statistics (including percentage, mean, and standard deviation or S.D.) and paired sample t-test were used.

           Results showed that before participating in the empowerment program these caregivers had the following scores in four different empowerment aspects: personal development (mean 3.40 and S.D. 0.610), resource control and management ability (mean 2.83 and S.D. 0.374), satisfaction level (mean 3.50 and S.D. 0.401), and life goals and meaning (mean 3.74 and S.D. 0.663). After the program, the scores were as follows: personal development (mean 4.17 and S.D. 0.609), resource control and management ability (mean 3.61 and S.D. 0.490), satisfaction level (mean 3.90 and S.D. 0.644), and life goals and meaning (mean 4.28 and S.D. 0.463). A comparison of overall empowerment scores before (mean 3.37 and S.D. 0.389) vs after (mean 4.00 and S.D. 0.473) participating in the empowerment program showed a significant statistical difference (t = 4.018 and p < 0.05).

           Given the benefits and values of empowerment program to caregivers, this study recommended that there should be more research done on empowerment in the caregivers of the patients of other types of mental disorders to evaluate their empowerment levels and promote wider adoption of empowerment programs.