Recovery From Schizophrenia: The Case of Mexican-Origin Consumers and Family Caregivers

• Published in: The journal of nervous and mental disease Vol. 206; no. 6; pp. 439 - 445
• Main Authors: Santos, Maria M, Kopelowicz, Alex, López, Steven R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Copyright Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved 01-06-2018; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Caregivers; Public health; Reliability; Schizophrenia; Social responsibility
• ISSN: 0022-3018; 1539-736X
• DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000826

ABSTRACTThis study examined the views about the future of persons with schizophrenia and their caregivers to understand what is at stake in engaging in recovery. The views of 60 Mexican-origin consumer-caregiver dyads were coded by three independent raters using a recovery literature-based coding system of recovery componentssocial relations, caregiving burden relief, independence, self-responsibility, and empowerment. General recovery expectations were also rated. Interrater reliability, component frequency, and congruence between the consumers and caregiversʼ expectations were statistically examined. Dominant recovery components for consumers and caregivers were independence (72.5%), general expectations for recovery (51%), and social relations (43%). Relatives differed in two important ways. Consumers held significantly greater expectations for independence (p < 0.01), whereas caregivers focused more on general recovery (p < 0.001). What matters for recovery for this sample of Mexican-origin consumers and caregivers differs. Addressing differences in views may facilitate person-centered treatment that considers the views of consumers and caregivers.