Accessible summary
- •
Families of persons with bipolar disorder face many difficulties and find the consequences of their relative’s condition stressful. These families need both emotional support and knowledge about the condition and how to manage the situation.
- •
This paper analyses the outcomes of an educational intervention for family members, focusing on their stress management, social function and carer situation over time through a 2-year follow-up.
- •
The results of this study showed that an educational intervention for family members living with a person with bipolar disorder increased their understanding of the condition and reduced stress for them, facilitating for them to remain socially functional. Caring for a relative with bipolar disorder had a negative impact on the family member and only limited positive value. Health-care professionals need to establish a collaborative relationship with these families, and educational interventions for them should form part of the treatment. In order to support their understanding and strengthen their ability to manage the situation, we suggest that health-care professionals need to focus interventions for family members on their individual experience of the condition and also offer them possibilities to share their experience with other families living under similar circumstances.
Abstract
This study aimed to analyse the outcomes of an educational intervention for family members living with a person with bipolar disorder. A longitudinal study was conducted comprising a 10-session educational intervention designed for families with members in outpatient mental health care. Thirty-four family members agreed to participate. Data were collected on five occasions, at baseline and during a 2-year follow-up through self-assessment instruments: the Carers of Older People in Europe Index, the Jalowiec Coping Scale-40, the Sense of Coherence questionnaire and the Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale. The results showed that the condition had a considerable negative impact on the family members as carers, but the educational intervention increased their understanding, which facilitated the management of their lives. A significant improvement in stress management was seen over time and social functioning was retained. The study showed that families living with one member with bipolar disorder benefited from the educational intervention in terms of increasing understanding of the condition and reducing stress. Mental health care needs to develop educational interventions further and offer the families support to strengthen their ability to manage with the situation.