Viviane Porto Tabeleão
Postgraduate Program in Health and Behaviour, Universidade Católica de Pelotas (UCPel), Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
Elaine Tomasi
Department of Social Medicine, Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), RS, Brazil.
Luciana de Ávila Quevedo
Postgraduate Program in Health and Behaviour, Universidade Católica de Pelotas (UCPel), Pelotas, RS, Brazil
Abstract:
Background: Studies have shown that overburden with care of psychotic patients is associated with a significant reduction of quality of life and causes harm to the caregiver’s health. Objective: In order to compare factors associated with levels of burden of caregivers with the psychopathology of the patient, we conducted a cross-sectional study with 435 primary caregivers of patients of Centers for Psychosocial Care (CAPS) from Pelotas, RS. Methods: The patients were identified through medical records and their caregivers were interviewed in their homes. To evaluate the burden we used Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Results: Caregivers of dependent users of alcohol and drugs had the highest average of burden, 52.2 points (sd = 20.4), followed by the caregivers of patients with suicide risk, 48.5 points (sd = 0.7). In adjusted analysis, women had 8.2 (95% CI: 4.6, 11.8) points higher on average than men in ZBI scale. Caregivers with less education had 1.6 (95% CI: -3.1, -1.0) points lower on average of burden compared to those with higher educational level. Caregivers with some health problem had 6.7 (95% CI: 3.3, 10.0) points higher in the middle of the ZBI when compared to those without disease. Discussion: Several factors overload clearly indicate the need to develop interventions such as psychoeducation which may give some support to the family responsible for care.
Keywords:Caregivers of psychiatric patients, burden, Zarit Burden Interview.