PARTICULARS.
NAME:FLORA KARAMBU
DEPARTMENT:NURSING
CLASS:MARCH 2022.
STUDENT NUMBER:D/MPNURS/22008/218
INDEX NUMBER:142532
TOPIC:
EXPLORING THE CHALLEGES AND BURDEN EXPERIENCED BY CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH MENTAL
ILLNESS AT MATHARI MENTAL HOSPITAL.
AREA OF STUDY.
MATHARI TEACHING AND REFERRAL MENTAL HOSPITAL,NAIROBI,KENYA.
The study will be conducted in MATHARI NATIONAL TEACHING AND REFERRAL MENTAL
HOSPITAL,which is located along Thika Highway road opposite Muthaiga police station.. It is situated
in the Mathare area, which is to the northeast of Nairobi's central business district.Comparative
Studies: It offers a basis for comparing mental health services in Kenya with those in other countries,
providing a broader perspective on global mental health challenges and solutions.The hospital
contains various departments including; Psychiatric services, substance abuse services,child and
adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, research and teaching,social work services ,clinical
psychology, general outpatient department and rehabilitation centre.
OBJECTIVES:
a)Broad objective.
1.To identify the correlates associated with burden among family caregivers of patients with mental
illness.
b)Specific objectives.
2.To determine the prevalence of burden among family caregivers of patients with mental illness as a
result of caregiving.
RESEARCH QUESTION.
1.What are the specific challenges faced by caregivers of patients with mental illness at Mathari
mental hospital?
2.How does providing care for a loved one with mental illness impact the mental ,emotional,and
physical well-being of caregivers at Mathari Mental Hospital?
3.what social,financial and psychological burdens do caregivers of patients with mental illness
experience at Mathari Mental Hospital?
Have 3 specific objectives and 3 questions.
INTRODUCTION.
CHAPTER 1.
In Africa about 60% of patients with severe mental disorders live with their relatives.Although
internationally,community or home based care for patient with mental health challenges is preferred
above institutional care,family caregivers in low and middle-income countries often receive no
guidance in the care for their family members,since community basedmental health programs are
hardly existent .They will therefore ,bear the responsibility of managing relatives with mental illness
in the home environment which may result in caregiver burden.
The burden of caregiving is a convoluted and multifaceted problem that can have varying definitions.It
will describe a psychological state which arises from the consolidation of physical effort,social
pressure,financial obligation and emotional strain that goes into caring and responding to the
demands of person who is incapable of caring for themselves due to infirmity.
.Behavioral problems like those seen in conditions such as schizophrenia are known to add to the
emotional distress experienced by a caregiver .Ill mental health in a caregiver is detrimental to a
patient with mental illness as this could result in abuse ,neglect or even violence,affecting the
outcomes of the patient .To better understanding how to support family caregivers,it is necessary to
evaluate the occurrence of caregiver burden and the factors contributing to it.
A family caregiver is described as a person who takes care of a person who is their relative ,either,a
parent,spouse or a child or other relation,with special medical demands or disability.They are usually
unpaid even though caregiving will lead to a loss of income.Moreover,additional medical expenses
for patients,often not insured in Kenya ,add to economic hardship for the family .Family caregivers
often have to juggle many responsibilities and sacrifice their personal lives to spport their family
members.In Kenya,persisting stigma and incorrect beliefs about mental health problems may pose
extra challenges to family caregivers.
Prevalence studies of caregiver burden among family caregivers of patient with mental illness
(PLWMI) in Africa has found varied results ranging from 40-70% .Of note is that different tools have to
be used to estimate caregiver burden ,including the Esther Burden Interview and the Family Burden
Interview Schedule .There is therefore little consistency in terms of tools to be used.In Kenya,only
one study evaluated the caregiver burden among family caregivers of children and teenagers with
psychiatric illness and prevalence of 39.7% reported.No studies are yet done to evaluate the
prevalence of caregiver burden amongst family caregivers of adult patients with psychiatric disease in
Kenya.
Many factors are known to add to the development of caregiver burden amongst caregivers of
PLWMI,although some inconsistencies exist in studies.Most studies find that the female gender is
associated with caregiver burden although some studies find that being a male will increase the
likelihood of developing caregiver burden.Similarly,in most studies,low levels of education in
caregivers leads to caregiverburden although few studies will report that a more advanced level of
education will pose an extra risk of developing caregiver burden.Marital status also shows
inconsistency in results.More consistent outcomes in studies are seen with multiple patients
admissions ,duration of care,history of substance abuse in patients ,patient’s employment
status ,number of suicidal attempts in the patient and lack of social support.
In Kenya,there is a scarcity of studies done to evaluate to which extent these factors contribute to the
burden amongst caregivers of PLWMI,A study will perceive economic effects among relatives of
mentally ill patients and find that financial obligations in the care of a PLWM are a cause of distress.A
study done among carers of children with psychiatric illness will reports a lack of social support and
co-morbid psychiatric illness among carergivers as factors associated with high caregiver burden.There
is a need for a quantitative study looking at a wide range of factors to understand how these
contribute to the caregiver burden in Kenya.
No citations where did you get the above information?
PROBLEM STATEMENT.
Since patients with psychiatric disorders are dependent on their caregivers,it is paramount to know
whether the caregivers experience a burden of caregiving and which factors are associated with it.
This is to offer support to them as there is a possibility that some caregivers have less well developed
coping mechanisms.The present study aims to identify the prevalence of caregiving burden amongst
caregivers of patients with mental illness in Nairobi,Kenya.It will also aim to determine significant
predictors of caregiver burden.
JUSTIFICATION FOR THE STUDY.
In 2015,the government of Kenya released the Kenya Mental Health Policy of 2015-2030.The policy
reports that one in every four Kenyans suffers from ill mental health;in their lifetime.that loosely
translates to 12 million Kenyan citizens who will need specialized medical attention for mental health
cencerns by the year 2030.The caregiver burdens goes to beyond carers of patients with mental
illness.It affects the community as a whole.Increased understanding of the extent of caregiver burden
in the Kenyan population is a means to plan for the future because the government projects an
explosion of mental health cases in the coming decade.Few studies have been done in East
Africa,much less in Kenya ,to assess the burden on caregivers.
This study is aimed at filling the knowledge gap on the extent of caregiver burden and providing
recommendations for potential interventions at both administration and practice levels in Kenyan
context.Interventions include strategies such as family therapy which might be of benefit in improving
the care of patients,by supporting their caregivers.On a large scale,it will potentially improve the
wellbeing of a large number of Kenyans who maybe undergoing silent distress as a result of their
caregiving role.
