Effect of Spiritual Care on Care Burden of families of Individual with Severe and Chronic Mental Disorders

This study aimed to investigate the effect of spiritual care on the caregiving burden of families caring for individuals with severe and chronic mental disorders. Method: A randomized, controlled, clinical trial was conducted with a three-phase design (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up) involving 60 family caregivers from psychiatric treatment centers in Isfahan, Iran. Participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group received eight weekly educational sessions focusing on spirituality, during 2 months. The Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview was used to measure the caregiving burden before, immediately after, and one month following the intervention. Statistical analyses, including the Mann-Whitney U test, Friedman test, and two-way repeated measures ANOVA, were employed to evaluate the data. Results: Findings showed no significant difference in caregiving burden between the groups prior to the intervention (p > 0.05). However, the intervention group experienced a significant reduction in caregiving burden immediately after and one month following the intervention (p < 0.001), whereas no significant change was observed in the control group (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The findings suggest that spiritually-based interventions can effectively alleviate the caregiving burden among family members of individuals with severe mental disorders. Integrating spiritual approaches into mental health care may enhance the psychological well-being of caregivers and improve their capacity to provide support and caregiving.