Aspectos emocionales de cuidadores primarios de personas que reciben atención psicológica

Mental health care for caregivers of people with a mental disorder or psychosocial disability provides a comprehensive health plan for society, while equipping this sector with knowledge and appropriate practices to continue providing support to their family members living with a mental health problem. Method. The study had a cross-sectional design with the objective of evaluating the emotional aspects of the role of primary caregivers of young people with mental health problems attending a psychological care center in northeastern Mexico. Sixty caregivers participated with a mean age of 42.40 years (SD= 11.25). The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used. Results. 21.6% of the participants presented moderate to severe depression, 25% presented moderate to severe anxiety, although extremely severe anxiety was observed in 15%, and 36.6% presented moderate to severe stress. The three variables are related to each other. In addition, significant differences could be observed between anxiety by sex groups and by socioeconomic level there are differences in the perception of depression or anxiety. Conclusions. The role of informal caregiver of a person with mental health problems not only entails physical wear and tear, but also undermines the mental health of the caregiver, mainly with symptoms of anxiety and stress, so it is important to provide this population group with coping strategies to deal with the worries they live with.