Abstract
The objective of this study was to comprehend the experiences undergone by the husband that is caregiving his wife in psychiatric treatment. As method, we used a qualitative approach of descriptive and exploratory type of phenomenological orientation. It was performed semi structured interviews with six male spouses/ caregivers from the Zona da Mata region in the State of Rondônia. In the participants’ statements, one can notice the difficulties found in everyday life, such as: the guarantee of the family’s basic needs; coordination of house chores; administration of the wife’s medication; the monitoring of health services; living with problematic behaviors and episodes of crisis. It was also possible to observe that the role of the caregiver has generated physical and emotional burdens on the spouse, taking him into a state of guilty due to theworsening of the wife’s sickening and, consequently, to his own mental distress.
Keywords:
family caregiver; psychological distress; mental health