Family members of patients with schizophrenia have enormous roles in the care of their patients, which could negatively impact their well being. Development of interventions targeted at alleviating the burden of informal care giving is hinged on the recognition of the factors associated with the various dimensions of burden. This study determined the correlates of caregiver burden among family members of patients with schizophrenia in Lagos, Nigeria. The study instruments included the Zarit burden interview (ZBI) and the positive and negative syndrome scale for schizophrenia (PANSS). Exploratory factor analysis of the ZBI produced a five-factor structure with “financial/physical strain”, “time/dependence strain”, “emotional strain”, “uncertainty”, and “self-criticism” domains. On multiple regression analyses, total PANSS scores, poor social support, and lower educational levels of caregivers were predictive of higher burden scores on the “financial/physical strain”, “time/dependence”, and “emotional strain” domains. Longer duration of illness, shorter patient-caregiver contact time, and being a female caregiver were predictive of higher burden scores on the “uncertainty”, “self-criticism”, and “emotional strain” domains, respectively. There is need for interventions to alleviate the burden on caregivers of patients with schizophrenia in Nigeria. These strategies must include comprehensive social support and improve access to services for patients and their caregivers. 1. Introduction Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness estimated to affect 1 out of 100 people globally [1]. It is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease accounting for about 1% of disability-adjusted life year, 3% of year lived with disability and is the 8th leading cause of disability in people aged 15 to 44 years [2]. The impairment caused by schizophrenia limits the ability of the sufferers to remain independent in various domains of psychosocial functioning. Patients with schizophrenia, therefore, require long-term support and care which may become burdensome to their caregivers. In many resource-poor countries, community-based mental health services and effective formal support system are unavailable to cater for the needs of patients with schizophrenia. Therefore, the trend towards shorter hospital stay and reduction of in-patient beds have shifted the responsibility of the day-to-day care of patients with schizophrenia from formal caregivers in mental health institutions to informal caregivers within the family setting. The tasks involved in rendering care to a
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