.jpg)
Key message: Decreases in the quality of life of caregivers may be associated with the burden of being a caregiver, lack of social support, course of the disease, and problems with family relationships.
Background[Caqueo-Urízar et al., 2009]
- Literature review of 37 studies (1998–2008) that assessed factors associated with the quality of life of caregivers of people with schizophrenia.
- A systematic search was carried out using the following electronic databases: MEDLINE via PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycINFO. The following keywords were used: “quality of life”, “burden”, “schizophrenia”, “families”, “caregivers”, and a combination of these.
- Despite differences between countries, studies carried out in different parts of the world show similar outcomes.
- Evidence suggest that physical, emotional, and economic distress negatively affect caregivers’ QoL as a result of a number of unfulfilled needs, such as restoration of patient functioning in family and social roles, economic burden, and lack of spare time, among other factors.
- Several studies stated that appearance of psychotic symptoms or the course of the disease produce an important level of burden.
- Working life was also significantly affected. Caregivers often need to leave their jobs, modify their working hours, or change to another job. Moreover, in some cases, stress seemed to be associated with a triple shift: job, household duties, and patient care.
- Economic issues produce concern in caregivers because of expenses in different areas, e.g. drug therapy and treatment. There is a difference between developed and developing countries – in countries such as Chile, Nigeria, and India, caregivers expressed more concern in this dimension, likely caused by scarcity of community and health resources.
References:
European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness (EUFAMI). The Caring For Carers (C4C) Survey, 2014.
Caqueo-Urízar A et al. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2009; 7: 84.