Abstract:
Title: Experiences and needs of caregivers of mentally ill patients attending at the department
of Psychiatry and mental health, Muhimbili national hospital (MNH) in Dar es salaam,
Tanzania.
Background: Today, globally about 450 million people suffer mental or behavioural
disorders. In Tanzania the estimated annual incidence of mental disorders is 22%. Family
caregivers play a pivotal role in the treatment and care of their mentally ill relatives. Unless
the important roles of family caregivers are supported in the future, this valuable resource
may not be sustained. In Tanzania, little is documented about the caregivers’ experiences and
needs in caring for mentally ill patients.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
Convenient non probability sampling was used to identify the caregivers that fit the criteria.
Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software package for Windows, version 20. The
audio taped interviews and discussions were transcribed verbatim for analysis using content
analysis and a constant reiterative comparative method.
Results: In the quantitative study, 380 caregivers were interviewed, majority (49.5%) of them
were parents; a total of 39.5% had cared for the patient for 2-5 years while 39.7% spending
more than 32 hours a week in caring for their patients. 87.4% of the participants had no past
experience of care of a mentally ill patient. The caregivers that have never taken care of a
mentally ill patient had 45.9% higher odd than the ones that have ever cared in experiencing
negative symptoms (OD=0.459, C.I= 0.237-0.889). Caregivers that cared for the patient for 2-
5 years had higher odds (OD= 2.584; C.I. =1.279-5.220) than those who cared for less than 2
years in reporting that the patients were dependent on them. In qualitative study the following
themes were found, Participants’ experiences during care of the mentally ill patient, common
concerns around acute phases of mental illness, impact of caregiving on family relations,
impact of caregiving on financial status, performance of hospital structure and rehabilitation
services.
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Conclusion and Recommendations: Caregivers experience psychological distress and suffer
physical, social and financial strains due to the roles they play while caring for their mentally
ill patients. Caregiver needs should be addressed.
