Social support system for family caregivers of schizophrenic patients in the communities of Beijing / 中华全科医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To develop the social support system for family caregivers of schizophrenic patients in community. Methods Based on the previous field investigation and the principle of comprehensiveness,feasibility,pertinence,suitability,generality and classification,the social support service item pool was established. Fifteen experts with intermediate or higher professional titles and working in the mental health fields were selected from government departments,specialized hospitals and community health service centers. The experts were consulted by Delphi and the results were analyzed. Results The average age of the consultation specialists was (40.7 ± 8.0) years, and the duration of working in mental illness rehabilitation was (14.9±7.6) years. The positive coefficients of the two rounds of consultation were 100％,the authoritative coefficients of experts were 0.795,and the coordination coefficients of opinions were from 0.252 to 0.344, respectively. The 67 items of social support service for family caregivers of schizophrenic patients in Beijing were obtained after two rounds of expert consultation, but fewer of the services were for schizophrenic caregivers only. Conclusion The authority and society should take measures to establish a social support system for family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia, in order to reduce their family burden and improve the quality of rehabilitation for mental patients in the community.