Primary caregivers of schizophrenia outpatients: Burden and predictor variables

Abstract This article explores family burden in relation to relatives' coping strategies and social networks, as well as in relation to the patients' severity of positive and negative symptoms. Data on the severity of symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia [PANSS]...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychiatry research 2008-04, Vol.158 (3), p.335-343
Main Authors: Grandón, Pamela, Jenaro, Cristina, Lemos, Serafín
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Age Distribution
Aged
Ambulatory Care
Assessment
Attitude to Health
Biological and medical sciences
Burden
Caregivers
Caregivers - psychology
Cognitive Therapy
Expressed Emotion
Families
Family environment. Family history
Family Health
Female
Humans
Interview, Psychological
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Mothers - psychology
Predictor variables
Probability
Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychoses
Quality of Life
Recurrence
Regression Analysis
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia - diagnosis
Schizophrenia - therapy
Schizophrenic Psychology
Self Efficacy
Severity of Illness Index
Social Adjustment
Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry
Social Support
Stress, Psychological - diagnosis
Stress, Psychological - psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Abstract This article explores family burden in relation to relatives' coping strategies and social networks, as well as in relation to the patients' severity of positive and negative symptoms. Data on the severity of symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia [PANSS]), social functioning (Social Functioning Scale [SFS]), caregivers burden (Interview on Objective and Subjective Family Burden or Entrevista de Carga Familiar Objetiva y Subjetiva [ECFOS]), coping skills (Family Coping Questionnaire [FCQ]), and social support (Social Network Questionnaire [SNQ]) were gathered from a randomized sample of 101 Chilean outpatients and their primary caregivers, mostly mothers. Low levels of burden were typically found, with the exception of moderate levels on general concerns for the ill relative. A hierarchical regression analysis with four blocks showed that clinical characteristics, such as higher frequency of relapses, more positive symptoms and lower independence-performance, together with lower self-control attributed to the patient, decrease in social interests, and less affective support, predict burden. The results support the relevance of psychoeducational interventions where families' needs are addressed.
ISSN:0165-1781
1872-7123
DOI:10.1016/j.psychres.2006.12.013