[Burden and psychological distress among Nigerian family caregivers of schizophrenic patients: the role of positive and negative symptoms]

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relationship between symptoms of schizophrenia and caregiver burden/distress among caregivers of people with schizophrenia in southwestern Nigeria.

Method: One hundred and one family caregivers of 101 patients with schizophrenia were recruited into the study. Caregivers were screened with the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) to measure caregiver burden and the 30 item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) to measure psychological distress. Patients were interviewed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) to rate psychopathology.

Results: More than half of the caregivers were females (58.4%). About one third of caregivers (33.7%) were experiencing moderate/severe levels of burden even though the mean burden score of 32.6± 14.1 for the sample was in the mild/moderate range on the ZBI scale. Using regression analysis, it was found that higher caregiver burden scores were associated with negative symptoms of asociality-anhedonia, whereas high GHQ-30 scores were associated with inattention and avolition. High caregiver burden scores were also associated the patient being unemployed and the caregiver having lower education, whereas high levels of emotional distress in the caregiver was related to the patient being female and the patient having a lower education level.

Conclusions: These results underscore the need for continued intervention for family members of Schizophrenic patients. Part of the care plan for the caregiver should include education on the negative symptoms of the illness.