Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Clinical Research Center for Mental Health, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai, 200030, China.
Brain Health Institute at National Center for Mental Disorder, Shanghai, China.
BMC Psychiatry. 2024 Nov 19;24(1):824. doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-06239-4.
Caregiving for people with mental illness (PwMI) could be burdensome, especially for informal caregivers. However, there is a scarcity of research investigating caregiving burden among informal caregivers of PwMI in China at the national level. To fill this gap, this study examined the prevalence of caregiving burden, depression, and anxiety, as well as their associated factors, among a cross-sectional sample of informal caregivers of PwMI in China.
Data were collected via an online survey between June and November 2023. Caregiving burden, depression, and anxiety were measured by the Zarit Burden Interview, the Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale. Information on caregivers' sociodemographic, care recipients' sociodemographic and disease-related, and caregiving-related characteristics was also collected. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to identify associated factors of caregiving burden, depression, and anxiety.
A total of 1,224 informal caregivers of PwMI in China were included in the final analysis. 72.1% of the participants had high caregiving burden, 53.5% had moderate to severe depression, and 43.1% had moderate to severe anxiety. Caregiving burden, depression, and anxiety were inter-correlated with each other but exhibited different profiles of associated factors. The most important factors associated with all the three outcomes were disease-related characteristics, particularly care recipients' symptom stability, medication compliance, and insight. Informal caregivers of males with mental illness had higher levels of caregiving burden, depression, and anxiety than those of females. There was a lack of differentiation in caregiving burden, depression, and anxiety based on care recipients' diagnosis. Formal or common-law marriage was a protective factor for caregiver depression and anxiety but not for caregiving burden.
Informal caregivers of PwMI in China experienced a high level of caregiving burden, depression, and anxiety. Urgent actions are needed to relieve caregiving burden, depression, and anxiety among informal caregivers of PwMI in China.
照顾精神疾病患者（PwMI）可能会带来负担，尤其是对非正式照顾者而言。然而，目前在全国范围内，针对中国 PwMI 非正式照顾者的照顾负担的研究相对较少。为了填补这一空白，本研究调查了中国 PwMI 非正式照顾者的照顾负担、抑郁和焦虑的流行情况，以及它们的相关因素。
数据是在 2023 年 6 月至 11 月期间通过在线调查收集的。照顾负担、抑郁和焦虑通过照顾者负担访谈、患者健康问卷和广泛性焦虑障碍量表来衡量。还收集了照顾者的社会人口统计学、照顾对象的社会人口统计学和疾病相关、以及照顾相关特征的信息。采用分层回归分析来确定照顾负担、抑郁和焦虑的相关因素。
共有 1224 名中国 PwMI 的非正式照顾者纳入最终分析。72.1%的参与者有高照顾负担，53.5%有中度至重度抑郁，43.1%有中度至重度焦虑。照顾负担、抑郁和焦虑相互关联，但具有不同的相关因素特征。与所有三个结果最相关的因素是疾病相关特征，特别是照顾对象的症状稳定性、药物依从性和洞察力。照顾患有精神疾病的男性的非正式照顾者比照顾女性的非正式照顾者有更高的照顾负担、抑郁和焦虑水平。根据照顾对象的诊断，在照顾负担、抑郁和焦虑方面没有差异。正式或事实婚姻是照顾者抑郁和焦虑的保护因素，但不是照顾负担的保护因素。
中国 PwMI 的非正式照顾者经历了高水平的照顾负担、抑郁和焦虑。迫切需要采取行动来减轻中国 PwMI 非正式照顾者的照顾负担、抑郁和焦虑。
