Study Purpose:
The purpose of this study is to explore the emotional well-being of family caregivers for individuals with persistent mental illness.
Participant Criteria
Family caregivers must be at least 21 years of age and reside in Tennessee. The caregiver needs to report being the primary/main caregiver for at least six months to an adult over 18 years of age with a mental illness. The caregivers and individuals with a mental illness need to be able to read, write, speak, and understand English, have internet access, and be willing to download and use the Zoom application. Individuals will not qualify for this study if they are
professional caregivers, such as nurses and nurse aides, or are caring for someone with a neurocognitive disorder like dementia or a neurodevelopmental disorder like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder.
Participant Activities
The family caregiver and the individual with persistent mental illness will need to consent for the caregiver to participate in the study during a nonrecorded video session with an investigator. The caregiver will then be able to complete about one hour of surveys online, for which they will receive a $15 Walmart gift card. An investigator may contact the caregiver again for an audiovideo recorded interview based on their survey responses to allow for variation in interview participants. Upon completing the one-hour interview, caregivers will receive a $20 Walmart gift card. Half or less of the caregivers completing surveys will be invited to participate in interviews.
Contact
Anyone interested in participating in this study may contact the Primary Investigator (PI), Amanda Matthaei, BSN, RN, by email at amatthae@uthsc.edu. This study is funded by the Tennessee Nurses Foundation. Amanda Matthaei, BSN, RN is a PhD nursing student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dissertation chair and supervising research professor is Mona Newsome Wicks, PhD, RN, FAAN.