@misc{10481/111874,
year = {2026},
month = {2},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/111874},
abstract = {Background/Objective: Informal caregiving for individuals with severe mental disorders
(SMDs) often leads to significant psychological distress. However, the specific coping strate
gies that determine mental health outcomes among siblings remain poorly understood.
This study aimed to analyze the predictive capacity of various coping strategies regarding
health, perceived stress, self-esteem, and caregiving experience for siblings. Methods:
Across-sectional study was conducted with a sample of siblings of patients with SMDs
(N =60) from mental health service. Self-report measures were used to assess perceived
health, perceived stress, self-esteem, coping strategies, and caregiving experience. Multiple
linear regression analyses were performed for each dependent variable, controlling for
collinearity. Results: The siblings reported a higher mean use of problem-focused coping
strategies compared to emotion-focused coping strategies. Regression models were statisti
cally significant for all analyzed variables, except for somatic symptoms. Emotion-focused
maladaptive coping (EFMC) strategies emerged as the most consistent and powerful pre
dictor, showing a significant association with positive caregiving appraisal (β = 0.657),
depression (β = 0.500), poor health (β = 0.453), negative stress (β = 0.449), social dysfunction
(β = 0.429), self-esteem (β = −0.390), and anxiety (β = 0.368). In contrast, problem-focused
strategies were largely non-significant, except for an association with positive and negative
aspects of caregiving (βPFMC = 0.509, βPFMC = 0.312, respectively), and positive stress
(βPFAC = −0.272). Conclusions: These results suggest that while siblings of people with
SMDs report a greater use of problem-focused coping strategies, the adoption of EFMC
strategies is the most detrimental factor observed, given their negative influence on mental
health, self-esteem, and caregiving experience.},
publisher = {MDPI},
keywords = {coping strategies},
keywords = {Severe mental disorder},
keywords = {Siblings},
title = {Coping and Caregiving Experiences Among Siblings of Individuals with Severe Mental Disorders},
doi = {10.3390/healthcare14030388},
author = {Reyes González, Carolina and Pérez Marfil, Mª Nieves and Salazar Torres, Isabel Cristina},
}