Calidad de vida del cuidador de un paciente diagnosticado con esquizofrenia. Estudio de caso

Abstract

Caring for a patient with mental illness leads to various changes in the caregiver, which has an impact on her quality of life. Precisely, the main objective of this research was to describe how the burden of the main caregiver of a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia affects her quality of life. To achieve this aim, three specific objectives were proposed: Characterize the overload of the caregiver of a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia, identify the areas that have been affect in her quality of life and inquire about the communicative interactions generated around the care of the patient. The methodology used was a qualitative-descriptive case study perfomed in a caregiver, a male of 44 years old, resident in Cali city. The information was collected through a semi-structured interview that provided an understanding of the family context and the life history of the caregiver. The results revealed that the load perceived by the caregiver is psychological, which implies feelings of hopelessness, uncertainty and sadness. It was identified that the areas of quality of life that have been affected are: mental health, economy and social relationships. On the other hand, it was evident that the family presents difficulties in terms of communicational interactions, which configures a burnout syndrome in the participant due to the absence of a fluid communication within his family system. Keywords: carer - quality of life – schizophrenia- Communication- Overload-family.