Overcoming the challenges of caring for paediatric psychosis patients: a literature review
Ortese, Terhemba Aelred (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025112028728
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025112028728
Tiivistelmä
Paediatric psychosis is a condition that affects children and adolescents, causing a disconnection from reality. It is challenging to care for children in this condition. Caregivers of paediatric patients with psychosis face challenges that affect the level of care they provide to their patients as well as the general well-being. It is therefore important to examine these challenges in detail to provide a decent working environment to enhance optimal patient care.
The main purpose of this thesis was to explore the challenges of caregivers of paediatric psychosis to understand the coping and support strategies needed to mitigate these challenges. This, to an extent will offer evidence-based knowledge on how paediatric psychotic caregivers can sustain their wellbeing while providing better care to patients with psychosis.
A search for relevant articles was conducted using CINAHL, ResearchGate and PubMed databases. An inclusion and exclusion criteria were set to ensure that only the most relevant and valid articles were selected out of numerous articles available in these online databases. Based on the certain criteria, including twelve (12) articles were sampled for analysis. Descriptive literature review was the analytical method used. Valuable insights were obtained regarding the challenges paediatric psychotic caregivers usually face and the varying coping strategies they use.
Findings indicate that caregivers of paediatric patients with psychosis experience both personal and emotional stressors such as burnout, anxiety and emotional exhaustion as well as professional and work-related problems such as staffing shortages and inadequate infrastructure. They also encounter patient related problems, such as aggression, lack of adherence and violence, barriers to therapeutic relationships, such as communication problems, social stigma and systemic resource problems such as financial strains and policy gaps. Through the coping strategies, including problem-focused methods such as problem-solving, social support-seeking, therapeutic methods such as mindfulness-based Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and organizational resources such as stress management training and stigma reduction programs, caregivers can protect their well-being and maintain high-quality patient care.
This thesis has compiled the evidence-based interventions in empowering paediatric psychosis caregivers, placing greater emphasis on adaptive coping, therapeutic intervention, and organizational support as the key to addressing multifaceted obstacles. Finally, these methods can be used to support resilience among caregivers, improve mental health outcomes in children, and guide training and policy in a variety of healthcare institutions.
The main purpose of this thesis was to explore the challenges of caregivers of paediatric psychosis to understand the coping and support strategies needed to mitigate these challenges. This, to an extent will offer evidence-based knowledge on how paediatric psychotic caregivers can sustain their wellbeing while providing better care to patients with psychosis.
A search for relevant articles was conducted using CINAHL, ResearchGate and PubMed databases. An inclusion and exclusion criteria were set to ensure that only the most relevant and valid articles were selected out of numerous articles available in these online databases. Based on the certain criteria, including twelve (12) articles were sampled for analysis. Descriptive literature review was the analytical method used. Valuable insights were obtained regarding the challenges paediatric psychotic caregivers usually face and the varying coping strategies they use.
Findings indicate that caregivers of paediatric patients with psychosis experience both personal and emotional stressors such as burnout, anxiety and emotional exhaustion as well as professional and work-related problems such as staffing shortages and inadequate infrastructure. They also encounter patient related problems, such as aggression, lack of adherence and violence, barriers to therapeutic relationships, such as communication problems, social stigma and systemic resource problems such as financial strains and policy gaps. Through the coping strategies, including problem-focused methods such as problem-solving, social support-seeking, therapeutic methods such as mindfulness-based Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and organizational resources such as stress management training and stigma reduction programs, caregivers can protect their well-being and maintain high-quality patient care.
This thesis has compiled the evidence-based interventions in empowering paediatric psychosis caregivers, placing greater emphasis on adaptive coping, therapeutic intervention, and organizational support as the key to addressing multifaceted obstacles. Finally, these methods can be used to support resilience among caregivers, improve mental health outcomes in children, and guide training and policy in a variety of healthcare institutions.