Research on caregiving in Chinese families living with mental illness: a critical review

Abstract

Much of the existing research on caregiving in families of individuals with mental illness has been conducted in Western societies. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to critically examine research on caregiving in families of individuals with mental illness living in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China. A search using computerized databases, public search engines, and references from retrieved articles revealed 37 studies published from 1990 to 2009. Four studies were theory driven at an individual level, and one study was guided by a family-level framework. Thirty-two articles were quantitative studies, and 5 were qualitative studies. All but 5 of 37 studies were cross-sectional. Findings suggest that misconceptions about mental illness, behavior disturbances, inadequate social support, and the limited value placed on caregiving contribute to maladaptation. Future research should include longitudinal studies guided by culturally appropriate family frameworks and studies using mixed methods.