Development of a family resiliency model to care of patients with schizophrenia

Background: Families who care for schizophrenia suffer stress and lose the ability to treat. Family stress can be mediated by resilience. Objective: This study aimed to develop a family resilience model based on family‐centred nursing for persons with schizophrenia. Methods: This study used a mixed‐method cross‐sectional approach. The population was a family of caregivers for persons with schizophrenia at Mental Hospital in Surabaya, Indonesia. The respondents were 137 families recruited by simple random sampling. Variables include family factors, risk factors, protective factors, patient factors, family stress, family resilience and family ability to care for persons with schizophrenia. The data were collected using questionnaires and then analysed with partial least squares. The statistical results afforded material for focus group discussions with six families and 10 health workers (psychiatrists, psychologists and nurses) in order to improve the model. Results: The result showed family stress was influenced by family factors (path coefficient = −0.145; t = 2.26), risk factors (path coefficient = 0.753; t = 16.7) and patient factors (path coefficient = 0.159; t = 3.23). Family resilience is influenced by risk factors (path coefficient = 0.316; t = 2.60), protective factors (path coefficient = 0.176; t = 2.22) and family stress (path coefficient = 0.298; t = 2.54). Family resilience affects the family ability to treat persons with schizophrenia (path coefficient = 0.366; t = 5.36). The family resilience model increases family capability by 13.4%. Conclusions: The model helps families through stress management by controlling the burden and stigma so that families are able to survive, rise, growing stronger and be better at caring for persons with schizophrenia.