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Abstract
Few studies have explored resilience among family caregivers who provide care for family members living with physical, intellectual, or emotional disabilities. The purpose of this generic qualitative inquiry was to explore the stressors associated with family caregiving and the associated health risks to the family caregiver. Many studies have been conducted on professional caregivers and the training preparing them for their duties and psychological well-being. Participants in this generic qualitative inquiry shared experiences by answering guided semi-structured, open-ended questions in audio-only recorded Skype interviews to answer the research question: How do family caregivers of physically or mentally ill family members describe their experience of resilience? To be resilient, a person must overcome any adverse situations. The sample population included 10 family caregivers, 18 years or older, who cared for a family member suffering from a physical or mental illness. The data analysis process included listening to the tapes, reviewing and transcribing interviews from tape to paper, and saving them to an external hard drive. The thematic analysis was used to identify, analyze, and interpret the family caregiver’s responses. Findings indicated a belief in a higher power, training in stress awareness and specific care for their caregiving needs, and access to a support network are all critical for resilience among family caregivers. The findings indicate that future studies are necessary to bring awareness to how health professionals interact with family caregivers to ensure patients are receiving a positive caregiving experience. Training resources should be readily available to promote enhanced resilience in family caregivers.
