phenomenological explanation of women's lived experience with spouses with mental disorders

Context: the spouse has a very important role to play in increasing the emotional and supportive resourcesof the family as well as in increasing patient adjustment. therefore, understanding their experiences canlead the health‑care system to the improvement of effective care and support.aims: this study was conducted to the explanation of the lived experiences of women with spouses withmental illness.settings and design: this qualitative study was carried out using the van manen phenomenology method.materials and methods: ten women were participated by purposeful sampling. data were gathered throughsemi‑structured interviews, observation, and memo.statistical analysis used: to analyze data, six‑step method of “van manen” was used.results: the results of life with a mentally impaired spouse include the main theme of frustrationthat includes four subthemes of “gradual extinction”, “disappointment”, “forgotten”, and “financialdisconnection”. the gradual extinction consists of three subcategories: “role relocation”, “self-neglect”,and “early aging”. disappointment consisting of four subcategories “misery”, “obligate life”, disturbanceand distress” and “loneliness”. forgotten consists of three subcategories: “not being comprehensive oftreatment system”, “isolation and seclusion”, and “lack of a support”. financial disconnection includesthree sub-categories: “lack of governmental support”, “economic disturbance of the family”, and “workingof woman and the children”.conclusions: participants in this research showed a lack of knowledge about dealing with the patient aswell as the lack of attention to individual problems. families expressed the need for effective support dueto the status of women.