Burden on caregivers of schizophrenia outpatients in Brazil: Relationship to symptomatology and functioning

Elaine Di Sarno, Isabel Napolitano and Mario Rodrigues Louzã

International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 2022, vol. 68, issue 8, 1552-1560

Abstract: Background: To investigate the objective and subjective burden on caregivers of schizophrenia outpatients and their associations with sociodemographic factors, symptomatology, and functioning. Methods: This study included 60 schizophrenic outpatients aged 18 to 65 years who were clinically stable for at least 6 months, and 60 caregivers aged 18 to 80 years who were in contact with the patient for ⩾30 hours/week. The patients were assessed using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Clinical Global Impression Scale for Schizophrenia (CGI-SCH), and the Personal and Social Performance scale (PSP). The caregivers were assessed using a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Family Burden Interview Schedule, Brazilian version (FBIS-BR). Results: The objective burden was positively correlated with CGI-SCH cognitive symptom scores ( p  = .032) and number of hours spent weekly with the patient ( p  = .028), and negatively correlated with PSP score ( r  = −.346, p  = .007). The subjective burden showed a negative correlation with age of disease onset ( r  = −.338, p  = .08). The independent variables included in the regression model were family income ( p  = .005), PSP score ( p  = .009), patient marital status ( p  = .012), patient gender ( p  = .046), and reception of financial benefit ( p  = .027) for objective burden; and disease duration ( p  = .045) and father/mother or sibling relationship ( p  = .001) for subjective burden. The coefficient of determination ( R 2 ) of the linear regression model for objective burden was 39.4%; subjective burden, 21.6%. Conclusion: Caring for female, single patients with longer disease duration, more severe cognitive symptoms, impaired functioning, and more caregiving time required per week were associated with higher caregiver burden levels.

Keywords: Caregiver burden; patient functionality; schizophrenia; symptomatology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:68:y:2022:i:8:p:1552-1560

DOI: 10.1177/00207640211039251

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