Effect of Positive Thinking Skills Training Program on Psychological Adjustment among Psychiatric Patients’ Caregivers

Abstract

Background: Psychiatric disorder is becoming a major public health problem. Prolonged caregiving responsibilities to psychiatric patients can deplete the family's energy, resulting in exhaustion and increased negative emotions, such as feelings of despair, guilt, depression, and helplessness, and a significant decrease in their psychological adjustment which requires adequate support and training. Aim: The present study aims to explore the effect of the positive thinking skills training program on psychological adjustment among psychiatric patients’ caregivers. Method: A quasi-experimental research design (Non-randomized controlled trial) was utilized in this study one group (pre, post-test, and follow-up) in the psychiatric outpatient clinic at Port Said Psychiatric Health Hospital and Addiction Treatment. A purposive sample of 66 psychiatric patients’ caregivers. Eight sessions of positive thinking skills training were carried out in the form of small groups for four months. Two tools used for data collection consisted of Tool I: The Positive Thinking Scale, Tool II: The Psychological Adjustment Scale, in addition to the Personal and Clinical Data Sheet of the studied psychiatric patients' caregivers. Results:The current study revealed that there were highly statistically ‎significant differences between the mean score of total psychological adjustment in the immediate post-program with mean ±SD (35.2±5.2) and at follow-up phase with mean ±SD (33.8±5.5) compared to a pre-program with mean ±SD (11.4±8.8)as (p<0.001). Conclusion: The positive thinking skill training program had a positive significant effect in improving the total psychological adjustment score among studied psychiatric patients’ caregivers. The study recommended the application of the positive thinking skill training program by the health profession at Port Said Psychiatric Health Hospital and Addiction Treatment to ensure continuity of care for psychiatric patients' caregivers Trial Registration Number (TRN) The study was approved and registered by the Research Ethics Committee (REC), Faculty of Nursing/ Port Said University with trial registration number (NUR 13/3/2022 - 11).