The Relationship Between Loneliness Religious Coping and Care Burden in Primary Caregivers of Individuals with Mental Disorders

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology Vol.7 Issue.3

Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.25.3.06

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

The Relationship Between Loneliness Religious Coping and Care Burden in Primary Caregivers of Individuals with Mental Disorders

Ruhsal Bozukluğu Olan Bireylerin Birincil Bakım Verenlerinde Yalnızlık ve Dini Başa Çıkma ile Bakım Yükü Arasındaki İlişki

Atanur Akar¹

Abstract:

This study aims to examine the relationship between loneliness, religious coping, and care burden among primary caregivers of individuals with chronic mental disorders. The study used a cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational research design. A convinience sampling technique was used, and the sample included 250 primary caregivers of individuals with mental disorders. Data were analyzed using multivariate linear regression analysis. The results showed that caregivers had moderate levels of loneliness, their use of positive religious coping was relatively high, and their use of negative religious coping was moderate. Care burden levels were also moderate. A one-unit increase in loneliness raised the care burden by 0.316 units (p < .001), while positive and negative religious coping had no significant effect on care burden (p > .05). These findings suggest that loneliness significantly affects care burden, and the two factors are closely linked. These findings suggest that loneliness is a significant predictor of care burden, highlighting the critical role of social and emotional support for caregivers. Providing structured social support programs, caregiver support groups, and psychological counseling may help reduce loneliness and, in turn, alleviate care burden. These results emphasize the need for targeted interventions to enhance caregivers’ well-being and improve their ability to manage caregiving responsibilities effectively.

Keywords: Care burden, mental disorder, religious coping, loneliness.

¹Asst. Prof., Nuh Naci Yazgan University Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, Kayseri, Türkiye, Orcid Id: 0000-0002-3117-5212

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Atanur Akar, Nuh Naci Yazgan University, Erkilet Dere Neighborhood, Northern Ring Road, Nuh Naci Yazgan Campus, 38170 Kocasinan, Kayseri, Turkey, E-mail: [email protected].

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 06.03.2025, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 30.05.2025, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 31.05.2025, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 22.09.2025

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Akar, A. (2025). The Relationship Between Loneliness Religious Coping and Care Burden in Primary Caregivers of Individuals with Mental Disorders. Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 7(3), 269-277.

© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/