Purpose: This study examines the facilitators and barriers to support group participation among lower socioeconomic status family caregivers of adults with serious and persistent mental illness. A revised Anderson model is the framework for assessing the relative importance of three types of factors - predisposing, enabling and need - as predictors of support group participation.
Method: This is a cross-sectional survey design utilizing standardized interviews comprised primarily of standardized assessment instruments. Interviews were completed with 226 lower socioeconomic status family caregivers. Factors examined included benefits and costs of support group membership, access barriers, caregiver social support, caregiver coping strategies, level of caregiver burden and depression, and disruptive consumer behaviors.
Results: Basic ignorance of support groups among this population remains a major barrier to their use: 26% of the sample had never before heard of support groups for family caregivers. Logistic regression analysis revealed that caregivers with higher benefits-to-costs differentials of support group participation were more likely to be support group members than were others having lower benefits-to-costs differentials. Also, access barriers, caregiver-specific social support and caregiver age were significant predictors of membership. A rival hypothesis, that support group membership may be a function of the caregiver's predilection for joining groups, was controlled for and not supported.
Implications for Policy and Practice: Educational strategies directed at caregivers and their key informants are needed to address caregivers' lack of knowledge and possible misperceptions about support groups.
See www.cwru.edu/affil/cccmhri/Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant will be: 1. Familiar with factors affecting support group participation among lower-SES family caregivers of adults with serious mental illness; 2. Be aware of policy and practice implications of the above.
Keywords: Caregivers,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.