ABSTRACT

Mental illnesses are as old as human life and caregivers adaptability to the caregiving role is vital to the wellbeing of the caregiver, family as well as recovery and rehabilitation of mentally ill persons (MIPs). The study generally investigated caregivers’ adaptability strategies and palliative care of mentally ill persons in South-South Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria. Nine research questions and five hypotheses guided the study. Specifically, the study determined caregivers causal attributions of mental illnesses in the study area, identified the types of palliative care given to mentally ill persons and ascertained physical, emotional, social, and other adaptability strategies used by the caregivers for palliative care of MIPs amongst others. The study adopted ex post-facto research design. Multistage sampling technique was employed to select four thousand, three hundred and thirty-nine (4,339) and one thousand and forty-nine (1,049) caregivers of mentally ill persons as population and sample size respectively for the study. A structured questionnaire developed by the researcher and titled Caregivers Adaptability Strategies and Palliative care of mentally ill persons Questionnaire (CASPCMIPQ) with 8 sections (A-H) and 96 items was used to generate data for the study. The questionnaire was validated by 5 experts. The reliability of the instrument was obtained through a pilot test conducted on 20 caregivers and the consistency of α = 0.82 was obtained using Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient. Inferential statistics were used to analyze the research questions while the hypotheses were tested using t-test. All the null hypotheses were upheld. Among the major findings was that lifestyle ( 3.47;   3.49); and biological ( 2.47;   2.48) factors were the most and least endorsed causal attributions of mental illness by the respondents respectively in the study area. 4 out of 5 adaptability strategies identified in this study were significant and used by the respondents for palliative care of MIPs.  Types of palliative cares given by caregivers to MIPs were physical ( 3.52;    3.51); medical ( 3.42;  3.43) and others. 3 out of 9 physical adaptability strategies were used by both male and female respondents; all the respondents endorsed 4 out of 9 emotional adaptability strategies; 5 out of 9 items were endorsed by the respondents as social adaptability strategies used. Also, 5 out of 8 financial adaptability strategies were sometimes used by the respondents. The study further reveals that all the respondents agreed with 5 out of 8 as religious adaptability strategies sometimes used; Lastly the study reveals that the level of adaptability of caregivers in this study was low. The study concludes that healthy adaptability is achievable and recommends amongst others that caregivers should adapt more positive adaptability strategies for palliative care of MIPs for their wellbeing, that of the family and rehabilitation/ recovery of MIPs.