Authors: (including presenting author): :
Chau WL(1), Lai KW(1), Tsang HW(1), Shun KW(1)
Affiliation: :
(1)Department of Psychiatry, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Nurse‑led carers support
Keyword 2: :
Psychiatric inpatient
Keyword 3: :
Caregiver burden (ZBI‑22)
Keyword 4: :
Psychoeducation
Keyword 5: :
Quality improvement Project
Keyword 6: :
Resilience and wellbeing
Introduction: :
Family caregivers of psychiatric inpatients experience significant burden and psychological distress. A Nurse-Led Carers Support Group (家友同行) was found effective to address carers’ needs in connection with in-patients recovery journey.
Objectives: :
(1) To enhance caregivers’ competency to caring patients with mental illness; (2) To enhance caregivers’ stress-coping skill associated with caring patients.
Methodology: :
A Carers Support Group called 家友同行 was set up after a six‑month pilot in the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Ward. Primary Nurses conducted a needs assessment for both patients and their carers prior to recruitment into the Carers Support Group. Informed by this assessment, each support group activity was restructured to last one hour and to provide empowerment through a defined topic scope. Topics ranging from symptom management and the detection of early relapse signs to psychoeducation on pharmacotherapy and relapse prevention was combined into each session. Customized counseling would be done depending on individual needs. To evaluate the intervention effect, independent assessors conducted assessments to all participants before and after intervention. The service was launched for six months from July to December 2025. This report is intended to guide the future directions. To measure the wellbeing of carers, the PHQ‑9 (Patient Health Questionnaire‑9) was used, which is a validated scale for assessing the presence and severity of depressive symptoms, offering a standardized measure of psychological well-being. To measure the resilience of carers, it used ZBI-22, GAD-7 which were standardized, reliable scales measuring caregiving strain and generalized anxiety, respectively, serving as robust indicators of burden and resilience in carers. The data was computed with paired tests (paired-t or Wilcoxon) and regression models to evaluate its effectiveness.
Result & Outcome: :
There was total 30 carers involved over the study period. Caregivers’ gender were over 80% female and as much as 50% as wives. Statistically significant enhancement in wellbeing and resilience. Scores on the ZBI-22 reflected as least 40% improvement in expressed burden (p< 0.001, Cohen’s d=1.55), the result of GAD-7 demonstrated as much as 52% advancement in emotional stability (p< 0.001, Cohen’s d=1.39), and the result of PHQ-9 showed over 50% elevation in mood and psychological wellbeing (p< 0.001, d=1.51. These large effect sizes confirmed that the carers support group cultivate meaningful change, empowering carers with stronger coping and reinforcing sustained resilience. The structured support group proved highly effective in promoting carers’ wellbeing and resilience, with three main themes emerging. Firstly, carers gained critical support through the Primary Nurses System Operation. Secondly, the program effectively addressed carers’ needs in direct connection with the in-patients’ recovery journey. Lastly, it reinforced a triaged, person-centred model of carer support within recovery-oriented psychiatric services. However, it is important to note that this study did not explore patients’ perspectives or the impact of the support group on patient outcomes, which remains an important limitation. The structured nurse-led Carers Support Group has proven highly effective in promoting carers’ wellbeing and resilience. Therefore, it is recommended that carers support services be sustained and expanded in clinical practice. Furthermore, the program should be extended to involve patients directly, with a focus on strengthening carer–patient relationships to enhance recovery. Future planning should measure patient outcomes and evaluate how closer carer–patient connections improve participation and resilience. This integrated approach will ensure that both carers and patients benefit from the support model within recovery-oriented psychiatric services.
