Burden among Caregivers of Mentally- Ill Patients: A Rural Community - Based Study

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The family constitutes an important support system in the care of the mentally ill in the community. Mental health professionals need to be aware of and address the stress borne by the family in caring for patients with mental illness as they treat the patient. Objectives: To assess burden among caregivers of mentally ill patients and associated factors in a rural area in Bangalore Urban District.Materials and methods: Caregivers of mentally ill patients were selected from a registry of a Community Based Mental Health Program of the institution, in a rural area in Bangalore Urban district in September 2009. A 20-item interviewer-administered Burden Assessment Schedule was used to assess caregiver burden. Burden was scored based on impact on 5 domains with a maximum score of 12, high scores indicating a high burden. Results & conclusions: 73 caregivers consented to participate in the study, 48 (65.7%) were females. The average score for caregiver wellbeing was 6.00 ± 1.81, for marital relationships was 6.53 ± 1.37, appreciation for care giving was 6.07 ± 1.40, for perceived severity of disease was 5.99 ± 1.90, and for relations with others was 5.64 ± 1.59, the last of which was significantly associated with type of mental illness (p<0.05). The burden among caregivers in general was lower than expected, probably due to the interventions made in the community based program.