Silent Pain of Caregivers: A Qualitative Study

Background: Both theoretical and empirical evidences on chronic illness suggest negative consequences of caregiving on the psychological wellbeing and Quality of Life (QOL) of the caregivers. However, the fact remain that there is a paucity of empirical researches on the quality of life of caregivers of people with chronic mental illness. Purpose: The purpose of the present research is to assess the Emotional Quality of Life among caregivers of person with chronic mental illness across gender. Setting: Psychiatric Hospitals and clinics Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Participants: The sample comprised of 100 primary caregivers of person (50 were male caregivers and 50 were Female caregivers) with diagnosed chronic mental illness of Schizophrenia, Anxiety Disorder, Personality disorder, Depression and Bipolar affective disorder (BPAD). Those willing to participate in the study were interviewed to assess their Emotional quality of life.