barriers to caregiver preparedness in family caregivers of schizophrenia patients: a qualitative study.

introduction: caring for schizophrenia patients is the most challenging condition for their families. family caregivers encounter broad-spectrum problems by a lack of caregiving preparedness. therefore, this study aims to identify the barriers to caregiving preparedness in family caregivers of schizophrenia patients.methods: twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted by nine schizophrenia patients' families and four healthcare providers selected by purposive sampling in iran. after explaining our goals and obtaining permission, we recorded their voices, transcribed them for each session, analyzed them, and evaluated their trustworthiness.result: the theme of "barriers to caregiver preparedness" emerged from the data in three main categories: wandering in the unknown, mental health inequalities in society, and role confusion. discussion and conclusion: these findings highlighted the contextual factors that result in family caregivers' unpreparedness. identifying these factors can help the healthcare providers appraise the caregivers for later interventions and assist the health policymakers in overcoming these barriers.