Poon Abner Weng Cheong, Curtis Jackie, Ward Philip, Loneragan Celia, Lappin Julia
Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Clinical Director, Youth Mental Health, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW; Conjoint Senior Lecturer, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Australas Psychiatry. 2018 Apr;26(2):184-188. doi: 10.1177/1039856217748250. Epub 2018 Jan 15.
Carers of people with psychosis may experience psychological distress and caregiving burden. However, few studies have examined both psychological and physical health of carers of young people with first episode psychosis (FEP).
A total of 32 young people with FEP and 42 of their carers were recruited from a mental health service. Standardised scales were administered to assess carers' psychological distress and risk for development of Type 2 diabetes. Their body mass index, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured.
A total of 24% ( n = 10) of carers experienced high/very high psychological distress and 39.0% ( n = 16) had high risk for Type 2 diabetes. It was common for carers to be overweight ( n = 33, 78.6%) and to have hypertension ( n = 14, 33.3%). Carers' higher levels of psychological distress were associated with shorter duration of illness in the young person.
Caring for a young person with FEP is associated with poor physical and psychological health. Findings show the importance of supporting carers' physical and psychological health early in treatment of young people with FEP.
精神病患者的照料者可能会经历心理困扰和照料负担。然而，很少有研究考察首次发作精神病（FEP）青年患者照料者的心理和身体健康状况。
从一家心理健康服务机构招募了32名患有FEP的青年及其42名照料者。使用标准化量表评估照料者的心理困扰以及患2型糖尿病的风险。测量他们的体重指数、腰围和血压。
共有24%（n = 10）的照料者经历了高度/非常高度的心理困扰，39.0%（n = 16）有患2型糖尿病的高风险。照料者超重（n = 33，78.6%）和患有高血压（n = 14，33.3%）的情况很常见。照料者较高水平的心理困扰与青年患者较短的病程相关。
照料患有FEP的青年与较差的身心健康相关。研究结果表明，在FEP青年患者治疗早期支持照料者的身心健康非常重要。
