A qualitative research on the familiy experiences of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia

Although the family system is as old as human history and has a dynamic structure, it maintains its importance. For individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (CTD), their families are also important, as they receive the highest support during difficult disease processes. However, studies examining the experiences of ST individuals related to their families, especially those who mostly live with their families in our country, are limited. Based on this, this study aims to examine the experiences of ST individuals related to their families in depth. The qualitative method's femonological (case science) design has been used to enable an in-depth examination of the experiences of individuals involving their perspectives, perceptions and evaluations of their families. In this context, in-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with 19 participants over the age of 18 living with their parents and diagnosed with schizophrenia using the purposeful sampling method. The data obtained through the semi-structured interview form were analyzed and interpreted by the content analysis method through the NVivo program. The family experiences of ST individuals were examined under five main themes: the meaning of family (family definitions, living with family), experiences related to family roles (experiences related to parents, being a child in the family, brotherhood, family socialization and problem-solving), support systems, experiences related to stigma (not being understood, devaluation, blame, not believing in illness, pressure). In parallel with the fact that individuals mostly define their families in a good category, it has been concluded that their families are very important to them and that they have a high dependence on their families to continue their lives. On the other hand, there are also disconnections in family relationships, communication difficulties and deficiencies in the socialization process. Improving family relations and interaction, increasing the ability of individuals with high levels of fear about the loss of their parents to continue their lives alone, and improving psychosocial support services related to reducing their dependence on their families is an important need for families and individuals to benefit.