Factors affecting caregivers’ burden and emotional expression of patients with schizophrenia

Objective: The present study aims to investigate caregivers’ burden and level of emotional expression and related factors in members of the families with schizophrenic patients. Methods: The study was conducted on seventy two schizophrenic patients and their caregivers under treatment at the Department of Psychiatry and Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine. A sociodemographic inventory was administered to the patients and their caregivers. The perceived family burden scale and expressed emotion were also administered to the caregivers. Results: The caregivers’ mean score and standard deviation were computed as 28.88±22.55 for the subject burden, 8.70±5.83 for the objective burden and 15.90±6.10 for the emotional expression scale. The emotional expression scores of the caregivers were found to be correlated with both the subjective burden and the objective burden scores. We observed significant difference between scores of the sub groups of caregivers defined by various sociodemographic characteristic and their patients’ clinical characteristic. Conclusion: A care-giver is likely to present higher emotional expression if s/he is jobless and undereducated, if the family income is insufficient, and if the respected patient is male undereducated, with no social security. A caregiver is likely to erceive higher subjective burden if his/her patient is male and unable to conform with the treatment regimen, and without social security. A caregiver is likely to perceive higher objective burden if s/he is divorced or widowed, under educated, and living with his/her first nuclear family [Anadolu Psikiyatri Derg 2012; 13(1.000): 8-15]