Expressed emotion levels, family functionality and affecting variables of psychotic patients caregivers

In this study, it was aimed to determine the level of emotional expression, family functionality and the variables affecting them in the caregivers of patients diagnosed with psychotic disorder. This descriptive and correlational research was conducted between July 2020 and December 2020 at Gaziantep Şehitkamil State Hospital, Dr. Ersin Arslan Training and Research Hospital and community mental health centers affiliated to these hospitals. The caregivers of the patients who were diagnosed with psychotic disorder and receiving inpatient and outpatient treatment in the centers where the research was conducted constituted the population of the research and the sample of the study was 180 caregivers who agreed to participate in the study. The data were collected by applying the "Personal Information Form", "Emotion Expression Scale (EES)" and " Family Assessment Scale (FAS)". Independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance (One-way ANOVA), Pearson Correlation test were used in the analysis of the data. In this study, the total mean score of FAS, answered by the caregivers, was 2.32±.41, and the mean total score of EES was 19.68±6.04. According to this result, it was interpreted that the emotional expression levels of the caregivers of psychotic patients and the family functionality perceived by the caregivers were at an unhealthy level. Relationships were found between the scale scores of caregivers and various descriptive and clinical characteristics of caregivers and patients. It is predicted that it will be beneficial for the patients to provide psychoeducational trainings to the caregivers of patients with psychotic disorder by psychiatric nurses to support family functionality and expression of emotion appropriately.