Psychological Process in Families of Patients with Schizophrenia

― Focused on the Structure of Repeating “Expectation” and “Anxiety” ―

Abstract

　　The purpose of this study is to explore the psychological process in families of patients with schizophrenia. The informants are 10 families of patients with schizophrenia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the grounded theory approach, and the families' life stories were described. As a result, the following categories were generated:【 started about the incident】,【 coping with the incident】, and【 difficulty of the connection to the medical treatment】 as categories of〈 after the pathogenesis〉;【 confusion to the disorder】,【 coping with the disorder】, and 【concomitance of normality and abnormality】 as categories of 〈after a diagnosis〉; 【evaluation to the disorder and the patient】,【 anxiety】, and【 expectation】 were generated as categories of 〈present〉. Characteristic process of the family was found; patient’s “concomitance of normality and abnormality” cause the instability of “evaluation for the disorder and the patient” by the family, and therefore the family vacillates between “expectation” and “anxiety” regardless of elapsed years. And it was also found that the “expectation” and “anxiety” for patients could bring about the subsequent thought and the action of the family. This could mean that the family does “reframing” the meaning of the thought and the action, from ‘for the patient’ to ‘for the society and themselves’. The result indicates that, in supporting the family of the patients with schizophrenia, it is important to prepare the suitable support for each stage and empower them by supporting positively their various activities.