Predictors of family caregivers' burden and quality of life when providing care for a family member with schizophrenia in the People's Republic of China

Abstract

Limited research has been undertaken regarding family caregivers' burden and quality of life (QOL) when providing care for a family member with schizophrenia in the People's Republic of China. This study examined the following in Chinese families caring for a member with schizophrenia: (i) the level of family caregivers' burden and QOL; (ii) the relationships among the demographic characteristics of family caregivers, the demographic characteristics of family members with schizophrenia, and family caregivers' burden and QOL; and (iii) the best predictors of family caregivers' burden and QOL. The findings suggest that family caregivers suffer a high level of burden when caring for a family member with schizophrenia. Numerous significant correlations were found among the variables. The best predictor of family caregivers' burden was found to be their level of education, while the best predictors of family caregivers' QOL were physical health and household income.