Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Social Work

Advisor

Debra Wilson

Abstract

AbstractThe complex diagnosis of chronic pain can include both physiological and psychological symptoms resulting in a need for caregivers to assist their loved ones and become involved in their mental health care treatment. As the aging population and the number of individuals diagnosed with chronic pain increases, the number of caregivers who assist them also increases. Critical to addressing the psychological symptoms of chronic pain is knowing how caregivers experience their involvement in mental health treatment. This research addressed the need for an understanding of caregivers’ experiences of caregiving and involvement with health care providers of mental health treatment for their loved ones. The purpose of this qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of a purposive and snowball sample of 12 female caregivers living in the rural Southwestern region of the United States. Data were collected through semistructured interviews. Emergent themes regarding the discomfort with the label of caregiver and diagnosis of mental health symptoms were derived from a modified van Kaam method of data analysis. Additional core themes included the subthemes of the caregivers’ experiences advocating for and supporting their loved ones’ decision making and treatment options. All 12 caregivers reported that by spending time with their loved one, the loved ones’ well-being increased and mental health symptoms decreased. The results of this study have potential implications for positive social change by extending health care professionals’ knowledge about how caregivers experience mental health care treatment for their loved ones.

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