An Exploratory Study of the Role of Religious Involvement for Latinos with Schizophrenia and Their Family Caregivers

Background: Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness associated with a number of individual-level impairments and social costs that impact consumers and family members. Latinos with schizophrenia are more likely to live with family caregivers when compared to other groups. Family caregivers have reported experiencing stress, depression symptoms and somatic ailments associated with caregiving. Specifically for ethnic/racial minorities, such as Latinos with schizophrenia and their family caregivers, it is essential to examine the role of traditional and culturally relevant resources such as religious involvement. Both Latinos diagnosed with schizophrenia and their family caregivers have identified religious involvement as a resource. Further, examining the role of religious involvement may improve service provision, treatment engagement and outcomes. However, there is a dearth of research regarding the role of traditional resources such as religious involvement for Latinos diagnosed with schizophrenia and their family caregivers. To this end, the first aim of this exploratory study was to examine the role of religious involvement in quality of life for Latinos diagnosed with schizophrenia. The second aim was to examine the role of religious involvement in burden for family caregivers.

Methods: A total of 64 Latino adults diagnosed with schizophrenia (consumers) and 64 family caregivers participated in the study. The consumers were recipients of mental health services at Los Angeles Department of Mental Health County Clinics. Data was collected as part of a controlled trial for a multifamily group intervention created for Latino families of adults diagnosed with schizophrenia. Religious involvement in the form of both extrinsic religion (e.g. church attendance, church activities) and intrinsic religion (e.g. prayer, meditation) was investigated. Regression analyses were run to examine the role of religious involvement and quality of life for consumers and the role of religious involvement and burden for family caregivers.

Results: Our study suggested that religious involvement in the forms of both extrinsic religion and intrinsic religion were positively associated with quality of life for Latinos diagnosed with schizophrenia. For Latino family caregivers, extrinsic religion contributed to a decrease in burden, but intrinsic religion was not associated with burden.

 Implications: Our exploratory study suggested that both extrinsic and intrinsic religion were predictors of quality of life for Latinos diagnosed with schizophrenia. In addition, only extrinsic religion was a predictor of decreased burden for family caregivers. This means that both clients and their family caregivers may benefit from religious involvement. In the clinical setting, although topics of conversation between practitioner and client such as religious involvement may be identified as taboo, our study suggests that practitioners should explore religious involvement as a resource when working with Latinos diagnosed with schizophrenia and their family caregivers. In an effort to offer much needed culturally relevant care to Latino consumers and provide support to their overburdened family caregivers, there is a pressing need to continue to conduct research in this area.