1Psychiatric Social Worker, IHBAS, Dilsad Garden, Shahdara, New Delhi
2Additional Professor, Dept. of Clinical Psychology, RINPAS, Kanke, Ranchi
3Associate Professor (Rtd.), Dept. of Psychiatric Social Worker, RINPAS, Kanke, Ranchi
Online published on 23 December, 2013.
The present study has applied caregivers’ need based approach that aimed to assess and understand their perceived social support and also to know and compare the effect of different ‘course of illness’ on the perceived support of their relatives. Present study aimed to assess and compare the effect of different ‘course of illness’ of the patient on the perceived social support of their relatives who were taking care of them. Data was collected at Out Patient Department of Ranchi Institute of Neuropsychiatry & Allied Sciences (RINPAS), Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. Sample consisted of 30 caregivers of bipolar affective disorder (currently mania) patients and 30 caregivers of schizophrenic patients. Social Support Questionnaire Short version (SSQ- short version) was administered to assess perceived social support. Group comparison was done using t-test. Majority of the caregivers in both groups perceived ‘poor’ social network. Caregivers of manic and schizophrenic patients face more or less similar problem in perceiving social support (number of social support and satisfaction with social support). Findings of the present study suggest that perception of social support network does not necessarily determine the level of satisfaction from it. Perceived social support of caregivers of schizophrenic (continuous course) and manic (episodic course) patients is more or less similar. Level of satisfaction is not necessarily associated with perception of social network.
Caregiving, Perceived Social Network, Caregiver's Satisfaction, Schizophrenia
