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QUESTION: How do parents, spouses, siblings, and children manage their emotions over time when dealing with a family member who has unipolar depression, manic depression, or schizophrenia?
Design
Analysis of data from 50 interviews, which were done as part of a larger ethnographic study.
Setting
Belmont, Massachusetts, USA.
Participants
50 participants (70% women, 96% white) were identified from a support group, newspaper advertisements, and recommendations from participants. 18 were parents, 13 were spouses, 10 were children, and 9 were siblings. Occupations were professional (26%), white collar (22%), clerical (16%), blue collar (8%), student (12%), and unemployed (16%).
Methods
Interviews were 2–3 hours long and were audiotaped and transcribed. Data on emotions that accompanied duty, obligation, and responsibility were collated and analysed to develop themes related to living with a family member who has a mental illness.
Main findings
4 stages in the evolution of the caregiving …
Footnotes
Source of funding: not stated.
For correspondence: Dr D A Karp, Department of Sociology, Boston College, McGuinn Hall 426, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA. Fax +1 617 552 4283.