Grief: The psychological consequence of the caregiving dynamic on family caregivers of persons with severe mental illness

The aim of this study was to identify predictors of grief among family caregivers (FCGs) of persons with severe mental illness (PSMI). Structured interviews with FCGs (N = 180) from a study conducted in 1995 by Dr. Struening at Columbia University were used. Findings indicated that greater FCG grief is predicted by characteristics of PSMI such as severity of illness (p < .05), fewer years of illness (p < .05), and of FCGs' self-evaluation such as negative attitude towards the PSMI (p < .001), self-blame (p < .001), feeling stigmatized (p < .001), avoiding others (p < .01), and using substances (p < .01). Decreased grief was found in Afro-American (p < .001) compared to White and Hispanic FCGs. The model explained 65% of the variance.;The study contributes to an understanding of caregiver grief and informs models for clinical interventions.