Abstract summary 

Severe mental illness exerts a tremendous burden on both the sufferer and caregiver. Such burden has been severally identified as enormous involving psychological, physical and economic challenges.This study examined the prevalence of burden of caregiving among caregivers of patients with severe mental illness; its relationship with the socio-demographic characteristics of the caregivers and patients, and the clinical variables of the patients.A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed, and participants included a dyad of 141 consecutive caregivers and patients who met the study inclusion criteria at the psychiatric out-patient clinic of a tertiary hospital. The Zarit Burden Interview was used to collect data from the caregivers; in addition, separate socio-demographic data collection sheets were used to collect data from caregivers and patients accordingly. Version 22 of SPSS was used to analyze the data at a statistically significant level of P< 0.05.About 37.6% of the caregivers experienced moderate to severe burden of caregiving. Duration of caregiving had a weak positive correlation with burden of care (r=.298, p=.004). While adjusting for other variables, duration of caregiving (OR=1.163, P=.017, 95% CI=1.027-1.317), and poor social support (OR=.438, P=.047, 95% CI=.194-.199) retained independent, statistically significant association with burden of caregiving, explaining about 16% in the variance of burden of caregiving.There is a need to provide social support for caregivers of persons suffering from mental illness. Subsidization of cost of medication and hospitalization can reduce the burden experienced.

Authors & Co-authors:  Ofovwe Caroline E CE Osasona Samuel O SO

Study Outcome 

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