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.
