Enhancing the Mental Health and Well-being of Family Caregivers Providing Informal Care in Ghana and Nigeria: A Commentary

Aledeh, Muhammad; Sokan-Adeaga, Adewale Allen; Adam, Habib; Aledeh, Sulaiman; Kotera, Yasuhiro

Abstract

The purpose of this commentary is to highlight the negative impact of caregiver burden on the mental health and well-being of family members who provide informal care for their loved ones. Personal fulfilment and strengthened family bonds are among the inherent rewards of informal caregiving. However, it is associated with physical, emotional/psychological, social, and financial burdens. Caregivers mostly suffer from caregiver burdens such as stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), compassion fatigue, burnout, depression, and suicidal ideation. Informal caregivers are pivotal in providing informal care for their families and loved ones, particularly in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Ghana and Nigeria. Family caregivers who provide informal care are often at risk of becoming invisible victims of poor mental health outcomes. Informal caregivers lack the knowledge and skills to support themselves because they may not have been trained. In these contexts, mental illness, attending mental healthcare programmes, and providing to care individuals suffering from mental illnesses are often stigmatised and associated with shame, limiting access to professional support for both caregivers and care recipients. There is sufficient evidence that self-compassion interventions are effective in protecting the mental health of people across diverse cultures. Therefore, family caregivers will benefit from self-compassion training interventions to protect themselves and from mental health problems associated with caregiving roles.

Citation

Aledeh, M., Sokan-Adeaga, A. A., Adam, H., Aledeh, S., & Kotera, Y. (2025). Enhancing the Mental Health and Well-being of Family Caregivers Providing Informal Care in Ghana and Nigeria: A Commentary. Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Mental Health, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40737-024-00447-7

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 2, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Jan 13, 2025
• Publication Date: Jan 13, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jan 18, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 14, 2026
• Journal: Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Mental Health
• Print ISSN: 2198-9834
• Electronic ISSN: 2198-963X
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40737-024-00447-7
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/44234381
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40737-024-00447-7