Abstract

The family is a fundamental unit that is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the individuals who make up the unit. Families provide emotional, social, and financial assistance to its members. A high functioning family assists its members in maintaining communication, emotional, and behavioral control, as well as problem solving and coping practices. A serious and chronic illness like schizophrenia puts a financial and emotional strain on the caregivers. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether patients with unremitting schizophrenia and their primary caregivers had different perspectives on family functioning and social support, and whether social support is linked to healthy functioning of the family. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study. Fifty unremitting schizophrenics diagnosed by diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM)-5 criteria and their family members were interviewed. The family assessment device (FAD) was used to assess family functioning, and the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) was used to assess social support. Research was conducted at psychiatric outpatient department (OPD) of a tertiary care hospitals. Results: Schizophrenic patients had more difficulty on problem solving as compared to their relatives, while no prominent differences were seen on the other dimensions of FAD in the two groups. Furthermore, schizophrenics saw friends as providing more social assistance than their family. All aspects of family functioning were linked to the Family support in schizophrenia patients.

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