SU126. The Burden of Caregiving in a Brazilian Sample of Outpatients With Schizophrenia

Abstract

Abstract The care of patients with schizophrenia imposes a significant objective e subjective burden for caregivers (Caqueo-Urizar , 2014). This study aims to evaluate the burden in a sample of Brazilian outpatients with schizophrenia. Cross-sectional observational study. Patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia (DSM-5), 18–50 years, both sexes, and a relative/caregiver, both sexes, aged 18–70 years, living in contact with the patient at least 30 h/wk. Family burden was evaluated using the Brazilian version of the Family Burden Interview Schedule (FBIS-BR), a semistructured interview, considering objective and/or subjective burden, distributed in 5 subscales (assistance to the patient in daily life [objective and subjective burden]; supervision of patients’ problematic behaviors [objective and subjective burden]; financial burden [objective and subjective]; impact on family routine [objective]; worries about the patients’ present and future life [subjective]). The objective burden is assessed in a Likert scale (1 = never to 5 = every day) and subjective burden, in Likert scale (1 = not at all to 4 = very much). Patients: = 23, mean age: 34.5 ± 8.2 years, 78.3% male, 95.7% single, 56.6% with elementary or middle school, age at onset of disease: 19.4 ± 5.3 years, number of hospitalizations: 1.91 ± 2.02, duration of disease: 16.48 ± 7.97 years, 73.9% without social security. Caregivers: = 23, mean age: 59.22 ± 11.0 years, 69.6% female, 60.9% mothers, 39.1% married, 69.6% with elementary or middle school, 56.5% without social security, most of them live with patients. The mean total score of the objective burden was 2.80 ± 1.26 and the subjective burden was 2.21 ± 0.54. The assistance to the patient in daily life (objective) was 3.32 ± 0.77 and its subjective aspect was 1.96 ± 0.95; supervision of patients’ problematic behaviors (objective) was 1.86 ± 0.53 and it subjective aspect was 0.97 ± 0.59. The financial burden was 2.78 ± 1.47; the impact on family routine (objective) was 1.89 ± 0.81 and worries about the patients’ present and future life (subjective) 3.72 ± 0.61. In our sample, most of the patients were single and taken care by their mothers. Our scores were high in both objective and subjective burden, with similar results compared to a Brazilian sample of relatives of patients with severe mental disorders (Bandeira , 2005). Worries about the patients’ future impose the highest burden for mothers as the patients are single, without any other caregiver.ReferencesCaqueo-Urizar A, Miranda-Castillo C, Lemos Giraldez S, . 2014;26(2):235–243.Bandeira M, Calzavara MGP, Varella AAB. . 2005;54(3):206–214.