Experience of caregiving in schizophrenia: a study from India

Many studies from India have evaluated the burden of schizophrenia on caregivers. Experience of caregiving, on the contrary, is a broader concept that takes into consideration both negative and positive consequences of the disorder and is influenced by factors like social support and coping of caregivers.

Fifty caregivers of patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia were assessed on Experience of Caregiving Inventory (ECI), Coping Checklist (CCL), Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ) and General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). Patients were assessed on Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).

Maximum ECI score was seen in negative domains of handling the difficult behaviour followed by negative symptoms, loss and dependency. Significant positive correlation was seen between total positive ECI score and the level of education of patients and caregivers. Regression analysis showed that use of problem-focused coping, seeking social support as a coping strategy and education of caregivers explained 30.6% of the variance of ECI positive score.

The study showed that education of caregivers, coping strategies used by the caregivers and available social support influence the final appraisal of caregiving.