Caregiver burden and the associated factors in the family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia.
Farnaz Rahmani, Fariborz Roshangar, Leila Gholizadeh and 1 others
PMID 35347867WHAT IT FOUND
Family caregivers of people with schizophrenia scored 65.14 on a 0 to 88 burden scale, in the severe range.
Spouses, women, older caregivers, lower education, unemployment or job loss, inadequate income, daily caregiving, and longer patient illness had higher burden.
Key findings
01The mean Zarit Burden Interview score was 65.14 ± 9.17, which the paper describes as severe caregiving burden.
02Severe burden was reported by 38.2% of caregivers, moderate-to-severe by 29.4%, mild-to-moderate by 19.39%, and little or no burden by 12.9%.
03In multiple regression, caregiver age, gender, education, relationship, job loss, perceived income, frequency of caregiving, and disease duration were significant correlates, and the model explained 54.4% of variance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample came from outpatient clinics at a single Iranian psychiatric hospital and used convenience sampling, so it may not apply to other settings or caregiver groups. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that any factor causes caregiver burden or that support services reduce burden. Caregiver burden and caregiver psychiatric history were self-reported, and disease severity, family support, and patient functional disability were not assessed. Participants were recruited while waiting for a patient's psychiatry follow-up visit, which may have limited who agreed to take part.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The research deputy of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences funded the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that respite care, financial support, or education will reduce caregiver burden. This was a cross-sectional survey of associations, not a test of interventions.