The burden of caregiving among mental health nurses providing services to consumers with depression in Ghana

Purpose: The study aims to explore the burden of caregiving among mental health nurses providing services to consumers with depression in Ghana. Design and Methods: Interpretative phenomenological design and qualitative data. Findings: The study shows that several health system constraints and individual factors contribute to the burden of caregiving among mental health nurses. Health system challenges are the poor state of the psychiatric facility, while individual factors are stigmatizing attitudes, nonadherence to medication instructions, limited family support, and physical and verbal abuse. The coping strategies used by mental health nurses are self-motivation, emotional boundaries, and the perceived clinical outcomes of treatment. Practice Implications: Clinical policies, procedures, and health facility practices should adequately address caregiving challenges, to facilitate effective mental health services.