Background Families of state patients experience challenges related to the patient’s mental illness and history of criminal behaviour. Family members who act as guardians when patients are on leave of absence take responsibility for the patient’s basic needs, activities of daily living and treatment regimen. They need to safeguard the patient from potential self-harm and harming others. Few studies have explored the burden these family members experience. Aim The aim of this study was to explore and describe the challenges experienced by families caring for mental state patients who are on leave of absence. Setting An urban area in South Africa. Methods A qualitative approach was applied to answer the research question, ‘what are the challenges experienced by families caring for mental state patients on leave of absence?’ A purposive sample of nine participants who were caring for state patients on leave of absence was selected. Individual in-depth interviews were used to collect data. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Ethical considerations and trustworthiness guided the study. Results Three themes illustrate the challenges experienced by family members, namely, challenges related to state patient’s behaviour, emotional challenges and social challenges. A fourth theme focuses on the ways families used to cope with these challenges. Conclusion Mental healthcare professionals may use the results of this study to design therapeutic interventions for family members of state patients who focus on empathetic understanding and the mobilisation of effective coping skills and social support.

中文翻译：

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南非家庭在照顾休假患者时遇到的挑战。

背景 州患者的家属会遇到与患者的精神疾病和犯罪行为史相关的挑战。病人休假期间作为监护人的家属负责病人的基本需要、日常生活活动和治疗方案。他们需要保护患者免受潜在的自我伤害和伤害他人。很少有研究探讨这些家庭成员所承受的负担。目的 本研究的目的是探索和描述照顾休假的精神状态患者的家庭所遇到的挑战。背景 南非的一个市区。方法 采用定性方法来回答研究问题，“照顾休假的精神病患者的家庭遇到了哪些挑战？” 选择了一个有目的的样本，其中包括九名正在休假照顾国家患者的参与者。个人深度访谈被用来收集数据。使用主题分析对数据进行分析。伦理考虑和可信度指导了这项研究。结果 三个主题说明了家庭成员所经历的挑战，即与状态患者行为相关的挑战、情绪挑战和社会挑战。第四个主题侧重于家庭应对这些挑战的方式。