Addressing the needs of individuals with concurrent disorders: a complexity arising

Background:
Family caregivers play a crucial role in facilitating the recovery of individuals with comorbid disorders. This engagement requires a comprehensive understanding of caregivers' requirements to alleviate their distress while navigating the intricate challenges of the extended recovery process. This translates into needs related to their roles as supporters, partners, and for themselves. Existing knowledge is fragmented, primarily derived from a limited number of quantitative descriptive studies and expert opinions.
Methods:
The objective of this mixed-case series study is to describe the needs of caregivers in the context of intervention design from their own perspective (n=15), the person they are accompanying (n=5), and other key actors involved (n=10). Thematic analysis of a focus group, 28 interview transcriptions, and a logbook was performed. Through the presentation of three cases, a description of the diversity of needs and their temporality will be provided.
Results:
In the first case, participants describe how crisis situations, such as homelessness and loss of control over the accompanied person's consumption, lead to periods of significant distress and solution-seeking for the caregiver. In the second case, a long history of various family adversities is described as a significant barrier to the implementation of new tools. In the third case, the acquisition of a diversity of knowledge and skills enhances caregivers' resilience and improves their relationship with the accompanied person.
Conclusions:
This study emphasizes the necessity of providing long-term services and targeting diverse needs in our service offerings.