Quality of Life in Caregivers of Children and Adolescents with Mental Disorders

Introduction: Psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence are extremely prevalent, affecting approximately 1 in 10 Brazilian children. Child mental health affects all areas of development and impacts the physical and mental health of the family and in school performance, with its obvious consequences in adulthood. Objective: The objective was to evaluate the perception of quality of life of children and adolescents with mental disorders caregiver's. Methodology: There were participating 64 caregivers of children and adolescents with mental disorders who attend one capside at a city of Paraiba backlands. Data from samples were obtained through a socio demographic questionnaire and the quality of life questionnaire WHOQOL Bref. Data were analyzed using the statistical program Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: The results showed that sixty (93.8%) caregivers were women, 27 (42.2%) completed high school, 40 (62.5%) were housewives, 31 (48.4%) were married , 46 (71.9%) were Catholic, 55 (85.9%) were mothers of children and adolescents and the overall score for quality of life WHOQOLBref ranged from 12.5 to 62.5 (mean = 43.9 ; SD = 12.0) and that the lowest average was found in the psychological domain (m = 40.1). Conclusion: At the end of it, the results of this study may influence on the availability of social support networks, on the creation of socio-sanitary laws, on the structure and adequacy of mental health services, since the health of children and adolescents depends on the caregiver health.