Arun R, Inbakamal S, Tharyan Anna, Premkumar Prasanna S
Department of Psychiatry, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Unit, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Department of Psychiatry, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Indian J Psychol Med. 2018 Jan-Feb;40(1):22-28. doi: 10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_204_17.
Schizophrenia, a chronic psychiatric disorder, can affect one's productivity and psychosocial functioning. In Indian context, the responsibility of caring persons with schizophrenia is increasingly on their spouses. Spousal caregiver experience and its relation with disability in schizophrenia need to be studied.
We conducted a cross-sectional study among 52 outpatients with schizophrenia and their spouses attending a tertiary psychiatric center. The objectives were: (a) to explore spousal caregiver burden in schizophrenia and (b) to assess the relation between disability and spousal caregiver burden. The study adopted recommended ethical principles. Scales such as Burden Assessment Schedule, Indian Disability Evaluation and Assessment Scale (IDEAS), and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were used to collect appropriate data. Descriptive analysis, bivariate analysis, and multivariate analysis were done in SPSS software version 16.0.
The mean spousal caregiver burden score was 73.5 (standard deviation: 14.0). In bivariate analysis, disability, duration of schizophrenia, severity of schizophrenia, place of residence, and socioeconomic status had statistically significant relation with spousal caregiver burden. Adjusted for spouses' age, gender, and other significant factors in bivariate analysis, the IDEAS global disability score (2.6, [confidence interval 0.5-3.8, = 0.013]) retained statistically significant association with spousal caregiver burden.
Spouses of persons with schizophrenia experience significant caregiver burden. Disability was found to be the most powerful determinant of spousal caregiver burden in the sample. Focus on disability alleviation in the management of schizophrenia may help reduce spousal caregiver burden.
精神分裂症是一种慢性精神疾病，会影响一个人的生产力和心理社会功能。在印度，照顾精神分裂症患者的责任越来越多地落在其配偶身上。需要研究配偶照顾者的经历及其与精神分裂症患者残疾状况的关系。
我们在一家三级精神病中心对52名精神分裂症门诊患者及其配偶进行了一项横断面研究。目的是：（a）探讨精神分裂症患者配偶的照顾负担；（b）评估残疾状况与配偶照顾负担之间的关系。该研究采用了推荐的伦理原则。使用负担评估量表、印度残疾评估量表（IDEAS）和阳性与阴性症状量表等工具收集相关数据。在SPSS 16.0软件中进行描述性分析、双变量分析和多变量分析。
配偶照顾者负担的平均得分是73.5（标准差：14.0）。在双变量分析中，残疾状况、精神分裂症病程、精神分裂症严重程度、居住地点和社会经济地位与配偶照顾负担有统计学上的显著关系。在对配偶的年龄、性别以及双变量分析中的其他显著因素进行调整后，IDEAS全球残疾评分（2.6，[置信区间0.5 - 3.8， = 0.013]）与配偶照顾负担仍保持统计学上的显著关联。
精神分裂症患者的配偶承受着巨大的照顾负担。在该样本中，残疾状况被发现是配偶照顾负担最有力的决定因素。在精神分裂症管理中关注减轻残疾状况可能有助于减轻配偶照顾负担。
