Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.5559/di.35.1.06
Guardianship through the Stress Process Model: Stressors, Changes and Social Support
Valentina Kozjak Đura
orcid.org/0009-0003-8606-8072
; Social Work Study Centre at the Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
In Croatia, almost half of adults under guardianship live with
their families, and for most of them, their guardian is a
family member. The burden of care affects caregivers' mental
and physical health and this relationship is moderated by
social support. Therefore, drawing on the Stress Process
Model and using a secondary, theory-driven thematic
analysis, this paper explores which stressors and which
changes guardians of adults under guardianship experience
in caring for their wards, as well as what kind of social
support they perceive. The analysis includes data from
interviews with 11 caregivers (parents or partners) of persons
deprived of legal capacity due to mental disorder
(schizophrenia). The results indicate that caregivers as
primary stressors identify changes in the ward's behavior as well as
refusal of treatment and non-cooperation. These
primary stressors lead to secondary stressors – role strain of
guardians and challenges in household maintenance, and
contextual stressors – stigma from the environment and lack
of formal support. These stressors accumulate into a care
burden. The changes perceived by caregivers include
difficulties in mental and physical health, disruptions in
everyday life, and reduced social life. Caregivers perceive
support from the family, while formal support is fragmented
and often absent. In conclusion, guardianship facilitates the
representation of wards and property protection, but it
doesn't reduce the everyday demands of care – this requires
flexible services and the development of formal support
models.
Keywords
guardianship; schizophrenia; care burden; stress process model; social support
Hrčak ID:
347017
URI
Publication date:
5.1.2026.
Visits: 265 *