The perceived burden of care and its correlates in schizophrenia

Results: Caregiver PFBS scores ere correlated with male patients, female caregivers, inadequate social support, economic difficulty, the presence of chronic physical disorder in the caregivers, patient violence toward the caregivers, total duration of illness, the number of patient hospitalizations, PANNS total and subscale scores, and SFS, BDI, and BAI scores. Perceived burden of care was predicted by the severity of the patients’ positive symptoms, SFS independence/competence and interpersonal functioning subscale scores, and caregivers’ anxiety and depression levels. Conclusion: In order to decrease the burden of care in schizophrenia we recommend effective management of patient symptoms, enhancement of patient social functioning, interventions that target caregivers with highlevels anxiety and depression, and social support provided by healthcare professionals.