Abstract:
The purposes of this descriptive research were: 1) to study expressed emotion of family caregivers in schizophrenic patients and 2) to determine the predictors of expressed emotion of family caregivers in schizophrenic patients; perceived severity of illness and social functioning of patients, depressive status of caregivers, burden of care, problem focused coping strategies, ability to care for schizophrenic patient, suffering from caring. Research subjects which were 180 family caregivers of schizophrenic patients receiving mental health treatments in outpatient department from hospitals in department of Mental Health. Research instruments divided into 10 parts; severity of illness of patient, social functioning scale of patient, Beck depression inventory, objective burden scale, subjective burden scale, problem focused coping strategies, patient care ability, sense of suffering, negative expressed emotion and positive expressed motion of family caregivers. All instruments were validity by 5 experts (validity= .89) and reliability with Chronbachs alpha were 0.88, 0.85, 0.87, 0.93, 0.92, 0.86, 0.91, 0.82, 0.87 and 0.85 respectively. Data were analyzed using mean, SD, and stepwise multiple regression. Major findings were as follow : 1.Expressed emotion of family caregivers in schizophrenic patients include 2 kinds; negative expressed emotion and positive expressed emotion were at the appropriate level. 2. Predictive factors with significantly at .05 levels to negative expressed emotion of family caregivers in schizophrenic patients were perceived subjective burden, problem focus coping strategies, sense of suffering and caregivers depression. These predictors were accounted for 36.2 percent (R²= .362). 3. Predictive factors with significantly at .05 levels to positive expressed emotion of family caregiver in schizophrenic patients were patient care ability and perceived severity of illness. These predictors were accounted for 29.1 percent (R²= .291) The Predictive Standardized Score function was: Znegative expressed emotion = .322Z Subjective burden-.257Z Problem focused coping strategies +.171Z sense of suffering+.143Z beck depression inventory Zpositive expressed emotion =-.446Z Patient care ability+.148Z Perceived severity of illness