Assessing the needs of siblings of persons with schizophrenia: A qualitative study from India

• There is a lack of research on unaffected siblings of persons with schizophrenia in Asia.
• This qualitative study aims to explore the needs of unaffected siblings in India.
• Unaffected siblings sought improvement in functioning of their affected siblings.
• They also asked for brief interventions during the follow-ups.

There is a lack of studies on siblings of persons with schizophrenia (SOPS) in Asia. This study aims to explore the needs of SOPS in India. 15 SOPS participated in this qualitative explorative study. All the interviews were audio recorded and later transcribed. Data analysis was carried out using General Inductive Approach. Five themes emerged from the data: managing illness or socio-occupational functioning; follow up services; informational needs; personal needs; and miscellaneous needs. SOPS in India have some distinctive needs. Identifying these needs might help in developing and designing specific psychosocial interventions for better management.