https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.412

Psychological factors of sibling caregivers of patients with severe mental disorders: an observational study

Vol. 23 No. 1 (2020)
Submitted: July 3, 2019
Accepted: February 24, 2020
Published: May 21, 2020
Caregiver, Mental health, Parental relationship, Traumatic experiences, Personality characteristics
Abstract Views: 914
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Appendix: 128
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Authors

Francesca Pierazzuoli
Department of Mental Health, Asst Bergamo Ovest, Bergamo, Italy.
Elisa Gatti
Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
Maria Rosa Castelli
Department of Mental Health, Asst Bergamo Ovest, Bergamo, Italy.
Giuseppe Primerano
Department of Mental Health, Asst Bergamo Ovest, Bergamo, Italy.
Osmano Oasi
Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy.
Giacomo Tognasso
g.tognasso@campus.unimib.it
Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
Livio Finos
Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padua, Italy.
Alessandra Santona
Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.

The goal of the present study is to explore the perception of the relationship with parental figures, traumatic experiences, personality traits and psychosocial characteristics of the participant sibling caregivers. The sample was composed of 30 sibling caregivers recruited at psychiatric facilities in Italy, and of 30 control siblings. The battery of instruments administered included Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2), and The Inventory of Traumatic Experiences (TEC). This research found that sibling caregivers of patients with severe psychiatric pathologies are distinctly different from the siblings of the control group with respect to the perception of their relationship with parental figures more frequently regarded as dysfunctional, and were also characterized by a higher presence of traumatic experiences. The problematic relationship with parental figures, some traumatic experiences, and the burden of taking care of a sibling with psychiatric disorders are probably important variables with regards to the individual’s overall psychological condition.

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How to Cite

Pierazzuoli, F., Gatti, E., Castelli, M. R., Primerano, G., Oasi, O., Tognasso, G., … Santona, A. (2020). Psychological factors of sibling caregivers of patients with severe mental disorders: an observational study. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.412

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