The Structure of Temperament in Caregivers of Patients with Schizophrenia

Kasper Sipowicz, Kamila Łuczyńska, Bartłomiej Bąk, Kacper Deska, Katarzyna Nowakowska-Domagała, Tadeusz Pietras, Dorota Podgórska-Jachnik, Elżbieta Małujło-Balcerska and Marcin Kosmalski ()
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Kasper Sipowicz: Department of Interdisciplinary Disability Studies, The Maria Grzegorzewska University in Warsaw, 02-353 Warsaw, Poland
Kamila Łuczyńska: The Second Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland
Bartłomiej Bąk: The Second Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland
Kacper Deska: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Lodz, 90-153 Lodz, Poland
Katarzyna Nowakowska-Domagała: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Lodz, 90-128 Lodz, Poland
Tadeusz Pietras: The Second Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland
Dorota Podgórska-Jachnik: Department of Educational Research, University of Lodz, 90-136 Lodz, Poland
Elżbieta Małujło-Balcerska: Department of Pneumonology, Medical University of Lodz, 90-153 Lodz, Poland
Marcin Kosmalski: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Lodz, 90-153 Lodz, Poland

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-10

Abstract: The onset of schizophrenia symptoms usually occurs in early youth. As a result, the parents of these patients usually become their caregivers. The role of a caregiver for a person with schizophrenia is a considerable mental and physical burden. Therefore, an interesting issue is what motivates these people to take up this challenge. It is probable that, apart from the moral imperative or kinship, the factor determining this decision is the personality structure of the caregiver. The aim of our study was to compare the structure of temperament (according to the model of temperament as formal characteristics of behavior developed by Jan Strelau) in caregivers of young adults (age 18–25 years) with schizophrenia with the structure of temperament of parents of healthy young adults still living in the family home under their care. The study group consisted of 64 people (51 women), who were taking care of young adults (aged 18–25 years) with schizophrenia, while the control group (53 people, 42 women) consisted of parents of healthy adults still living in the family home. Both groups were asked to complete a questionnaire of the authors’ own design on their demographic data as well as The Formal Characteristics of Behavior—Temperament Inventory to assess the temperament traits. The results were given in the number of points obtained on average in each dimension. Both groups did not differ in terms of size and age, with women predominating. Caregivers of young adults with schizophrenia had higher values of briskness (43.22 ± 4.45 vs. 42.90 ± 3.98, p = 0.032), emotional reactivity (46.02 ± 4.39 vs. 41.01 ± 3.12, p = 0.012) and activity level (44.01.89 ± 4.15 vs. 37.59 ± 4.77, p = 0.022) compared to the control group. The remaining dimensions of temperament: perseverance, sensory sensitivity, rhythmicity, and endurance did not differentiate between the two groups. The temperament structure of caregivers of young people with schizophrenia differs from the temperament structure of caregivers of healthy adults. Caregivers of sick people have higher values of briskness, emotional reactivity, and activity level compared to the control group.

Keywords: caregivers; temperament; schizophrenia; outpatient care; young adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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