{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T20:52:49Z","timestamp":1790887969435,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,13]],"date-time":"2026-07-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783900800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001381","name":"NRF","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Ref no: PMDS240530222298"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Ref no: PMDS240530222298"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001381","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) under the University Staff Doctorate Program (USDP) Junior Research Fellow.","award":["No grant Number"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["No grant Number"]}]},{"award":["No grant Number"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["No grant Number"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/012jp3q29","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Behavioral Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Epilepsy is a chronic neurological condition that often requires long-term care provided by family members, particularly in low-resource settings. This responsibility places caregivers at risk of significant psychological burden, which remains underexplored in rural South African contexts. This study explored the psychological burden experienced by family caregivers of people with epilepsy in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, South Africa. A qualitative exploratory\u2013descriptive design was employed. A total of 60 informal caregivers were snowball sampled from rural and peri-urban communities in Limpopo (n = 30) and Mpumalanga (n = 30). Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted in participants\u2019 preferred languages. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Three interrelated themes emerged, reflecting the psychological burden of caregiving: (1) persistent anxiety and fear related to unpredictable seizures, (2) emotional exhaustion and chronic stress, and (3) social isolation and psychological strain. Caregivers described constant worry, disrupted rest, and feelings of helplessness, often intensified by limited support and stigma associated with epilepsy. Caregivers of people with epilepsy experience a substantial psychological burden shaped by continuous caregiving demands and contextual challenges. There is a need for caregiver-focused mental health support and community-based interventions to reduce burden and improve well-being.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bs16071181","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,14]],"date-time":"2026-07-14T00:55:21Z","timestamp":1783990521000},"page":"1181","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Psychological Burden Among Family Caregivers of People with Epilepsy in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces, South Africa: A Qualitative Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2372-8884","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Happiness","family":"Ngobeni","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1689-9308","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lufuno","family":"Makhado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5673-1644","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thendo Gertie","family":"Makhado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Advanced Nursing Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.1080\/17434440.2021.2013198","article-title":"Delivering epilepsy care in low-resource settings: The role of technology","volume":"18","author":"Ali","year":"2021","journal-title":"Expert Review of Medical Devices"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"59","DOI":"10.15171\/jcs.2017.007","article-title":"Family stigma associated with epilepsy: A qualitative study","volume":"6","author":"Amjad","year":"2017","journal-title":"Journal of Caring Sciences"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3839","DOI":"10.1080\/17441692.2022.2092174","article-title":"Shame, stigma, and social exclusion: The lived experiences of epileptic patients in a health facility in Ilorin, Nigeria","volume":"17","author":"Arazeem","year":"2022","journal-title":"Global Public Health"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"814","DOI":"10.1002\/epi4.70237","article-title":"The Global Epilepsy Needs Study (GENS): A mixed-methods, multi-country exploration of the unmet psychosocial and everyday needs of people with epilepsy","volume":"11","author":"Baker","year":"2026","journal-title":"Epilepsia Open"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1802","DOI":"10.1177\/1049732316654870","article-title":"Member checking: A tool to enhance trustworthiness or merely a nod to validation?","volume":"26","author":"Birt","year":"2016","journal-title":"Qualitative Health Research"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.1191\/1478088706qp063oa","article-title":"Using thematic analysis in psychology","volume":"3","author":"Braun","year":"2006","journal-title":"Qualitative Research in Psychology"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"232","DOI":"10.1016\/j.seizure.2025.10.025","article-title":"Parents\u2019 experiences of caring for a child with epilepsy: A systematic review of qualitative research and thematic synthesis","volume":"133","author":"Breed","year":"2025","journal-title":"Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Carter, B., Cook, G., Bray, L., Collingwood, A., Saron, H., and Rouncefield-Swales, A. 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