title: Caring for relatives with serious mental illness at home: the experiences of family carers in Hong Kong.
abstract: This article describes a study recently carried out in Hong Kong. The aim of the study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of Chinese family carers in giving care to a relative with serious mental illness at home. Eight primary carers were selected, and data were collected through audiotaped, semistructured interviews in Cantonese. Five main categories emerged from the data: emotional impact, coping and adaptation, psychosocial effect, social support needs, and perceptions of mental illness and mental health services. Conclusions highlight the need for family-oriented mental health services to be developed and for further research to identify the specific nursing interventions that are effective in helping to sustain family caregiving in Chinese families.
authors.affiliation: Community Psychiatric Nursing, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ip
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Mackenzie
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D011340:Problem Solving; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology