Relation of expressed emotions and burden of care in primary caregivers to severity of illness in schizophrenia patients: A cross-sectional, hospital based study

Abstract

Background: Negative expressed emotions are a significant characteristic of the family milieu that has been found to predict symptom relapse in schizophrenia and may be related to severity of illness and burden of care. Aim: The aim of this article is to study the expressed emotions and burden of care in primary caregiver of patients suffering from schizophrenia, with relation to severity of illness. Methods: This cross-sectional, hospital-based study included 60 schizophrenia patients and their primary caregivers. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), modified Global Assessment of Functioning scale (mGAF), and Family Emotional Involvement and Criticism Scale (FEICS) were applied on the patients. Burden Assessment Schedule (BAS) was applied on the caregivers. Results: Patients were mostly male, symptomatic, diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia and aged between 20 and 50 years. Caregivers were predominantly married and employed. Expressed emotions and burden of care were significantly related to caregiver and patient education, gender, employment, marital status, type of family, diagnosis, duration of illness, caregiver relation, duration of care giving, and severity of schizophrenia symptoms. Burden of care showed significant variations according to patient and caregiver economic status, domicile, religion, and age. Both expressed emotions and burden of care had moderately positive and statistically significant correlation with severity of the disease. Conclusion: Both expressed emotions and burden of care in primary caregiver of patients suffering from schizophrenia are influenced by a number of sociodemographic, clinical, and disease-related factors. Thus increase or decrease in expressed emotions and burden of care is caused by the complex interaction of various factors that the patients and caregivers experience.