Lived experiences of caregiving to patients who
utilize emergency department services due to
mental health and substance use conditions
Hua Li
Background: Patients with mental health and addiction
(MHA) conditions who visit the emergency department (ED)
often present severe symptoms, and require additional services
and care. Up to 50%–70% of patients with MHA conditions live
with their family, which provides patients essential assistance in
acute MHA crises, and routine tasks, including activities of daily
living (ADL), medical appointments, symptom management,
and financial support. Ongoing time and resource demands of
caregiving have a deleterious effect on caregivers’ well-being,
including mental and physical health. However, there is limited
research exploring the experiences of caregivers focusing on
their mental and physical health. The purpose of this qualitative
study was to investigate the lived experiences of caregiving to
patients who visit the ED frequently due to MHA conditions.
Methods: Caregivers were recruited through a local MHA
services’ caregiver peer support group. Informed consent
was obtained from all study participants. In-depth individual
semi-structured interviews were utilized to collect data on caregiving experiences. Data was analyzed by using a thematic analysis approach.
Results: Seven family caregivers participated in this study, and
the narratives elucidated their lived experiences including the
challenges they face (e.g., navigating healthcare systems, lack of
support), the emotional toll they experience (e.g., psychological
stress, and burden), and how they make sense of their experiences (e.g., understanding the meaning they created from their
caregiving experiences).
Implications and lessons learned: Our study findings revealed
that the caregiving role itself is a source of great stress and burden for caregivers, and often results in negative effects on physical and mental health. To improve wellbeing of caregivers, more
support and resources are required to meet caregivers’ needs.
Nurses can play a salient role in supporting caregivers by collaborating with other healthcare providers and communities
to develop strategies and programs that address the challenges
caregivers face when providing care to patients.