PASAN ANG DAIGDIG: Lived Experiences and Psychological Well-­‐being of Parents of Individuals with Mental Disorders in San Felipe, Naga City

Abstract

This research is a study on the lived experiences and psychological well-­‐being of parents of individuals with mental disorders in San Felipe, Naga City. Seven mothers (aged 49 to 70 years old) of individuals suffering from mental disorders participated in the study. They were all of low income status; only one was able to attain college education; 6 of them are Roman Catholics while 1 is a Born Again Christian. One-­‐on-­‐one interviews were conducted in order to gather the necessary data for the research; an adapted version of the Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-­‐being was also administered to gather quantitative data that would serve to supplement and support the qualitative data. On account of the respondents’ lived experiences, their experiences of caregiver burdens were identified. Among the caregiver burdens that the respondents are reportedly experiencing are the following: (Objective Burdens): time-­‐and-­‐energy-­‐consuming caregiving demands, additional financial burdens, children’s atypical or problematic behaviors (particularly violent/aggressive and wandering tendencies), strained relationships, the different types of stigma (public stigma, self-­‐stigma, stigma by association and structural stigma); (Subjective Burdens): grief, shame or embarrassment and fear or anxiety. The coping strategies that they employ were also identified and this research’s findings show that although the respondents employ both types of coping strategies, they rely more on emotion-­‐focused coping strategies than on problem-­‐focused coping strategies. This is primarily because of their lack of resources. Furthermore, results of the administered psychological well-­‐being scale show that 6 out of the 7 average or normal psychological well-­‐being while 1 has an above average psychological well-­‐being. The results of the scale however, slightly contradicts the respondents’ narratives although inspite of this, effects of caregiver burdens on the different domains of psychological well-­‐being were found through a thorough analysis of the qualitative data.