The audience impact of an ethnodrama based on the lived experiences of family caregivers of loved ones with a mental illness

Abstract

There is paucity of research on the issues concerning family caregivers of loved ones with mental illness despite an increasing awareness of the importance of caregiving as an essential component of care. In this study, we examine the impact of an ethnodrama to (1) authentically reflect the experience of caregivers for people diagnosed with a mental illness and (2) impact audience beliefs and feelings about mental health and caregiver realities. Two focus group sessions were held with 21 family caregivers from a community support group from which an ethnodrama was developed and then presented across four performances to a total of 110 audience members. Audience members completed pre- and post-performance questionnaires containing items related to stigma, respect, caregiving attitudes and self-evaluation. Results indicated that audience members reported the play to realistically reflect the reality of caregiving for a loved one with mental illness, and statistical analyses revealed significant pre-post changes in the four categories of beliefs and feelings examined. The results indicate that witnessing the performance was a valuable educational experience and that ethnodrama has a place in mental health and mental illness education.