title: Mental disorder and caregiver burden in spouses: the Nord-Trøndelag health study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Researchers generally agree that mental disorder represents a burden to the family. The present study concerns the subjective burden of living with a person with mental disorder, more specifically the association between mental disorder in the index person and subjective well-being and symptoms of anxiety and depression in the spouse.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from questionnaires administered to the adult population of Nord-Trøndelag County, Norway during the period 1995-1997. The present study is based on a subsample where 9,740 couples were identified. Subjective burden in spouses of persons with mental disorder was compared with subjective burden in spouses of persons without mental disorder, using analysis of variance (ANOVA). All analyses were stratified by sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adjusting for several covariates, spouses of persons with mental disorder scored significantly lower on subjective well-being and significantly higher on symptoms of anxiety and depression compared to spouses of index persons without mental disorder. Although highly significant, the effect sizes were moderate, corresponding to a difference in standard deviations ranging from .34 - .51.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study supports the notion that there is an association between mental disorder in one partner and subjective burden in the spouse, but not to the same extent that have been reported in earlier studies, as our results do not indicate that a large proportion of the spouses reach a symptom level of anxiety and depression that reflects clinical mental disorder.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Mental Health, PO Box 4404 Nydalen, N-0403 Oslo, Norway. mariann.idstad@fhi.no
authors.forename: Mariann
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Idstad
authors.forename: Helga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ask
authors.forename: Kristian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tambs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D012737:Sex Factors; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
references.citation: J Affect Disord. 2004 Sep;81(3):211-22
references.pmid: 15337325
references.citation: J Affect Disord. 1993 Mar;27(3):183-95
references.pmid: 8478506
references.citation: Eur J Neurol. 2005 Jun;12 Suppl 1:1-27
references.pmid: 15877774
references.citation: J Affect Disord. 2010 Feb;121(1-2):10-21
references.pmid: 19443040
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 1987 Nov;151:660-7
references.pmid: 3446310
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2005 Jul;61(2):313-22
references.pmid: 15893048
references.citation: Clin Psychol Rev. 2008 Feb;28(2):179-98
references.pmid: 17573169
references.citation: J Clin Psychiatry. 1987 Oct;48(10):395-400
references.pmid: 3667537
references.citation: J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2006 Jan;61(1):P33-45
references.pmid: 16399940
references.citation: Psychosom Med. 2004 Sep-Oct;66(5):776-82
references.pmid: 15385706
references.citation: Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2005 Nov;18(6):684-91
references.pmid: 16639098
references.citation: Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2003 Mar;24(2):175-98
references.pmid: 12554427
references.citation: J Adv Nurs. 1995 Feb;21(2):248-55
references.pmid: 7714282
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 2009 Aug 30;169(1):62-9
references.pmid: 19625087
references.citation: CNS Spectr. 2005 Jun;10(6):481-8
references.pmid: 15908902
references.citation: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2002 Sep;37(9):416-22
references.pmid: 12242617
references.citation: J Consult Clin Psychol. 1987 Jun;55(3):347-52
references.pmid: 3597947
references.citation: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27
references.pmid: 15939839
references.citation: Psychol Med. 1990 Aug;20(3):635-46
references.pmid: 2236373
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 1984 Apr;144:395-9
references.pmid: 6722401
references.citation: Pharmacoeconomics. 2008;26(2):149-62
references.pmid: 18198934
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 2004 May;184:386-92
references.pmid: 15123501
references.citation: Aging Ment Health. 2005 Jul;9(4):325-30
references.pmid: 16019288
references.citation: Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1992 Sep;86(3):247-52
references.pmid: 1414422
references.citation: Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 1996 Apr;10(2):67-76
references.pmid: 8935983
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2007 Jun;64(11):2297-310
references.pmid: 17374552
references.citation: J Affect Disord. 2005 Jul;87(1):25-33
references.pmid: 15936826
references.citation: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2002 Apr;37(4):177-82
references.pmid: 12027244
references.citation: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 1990 Nov;25(6):289-97
references.pmid: 2291131
references.citation: Bipolar Disord. 2005;7 Suppl 1:25-32
references.pmid: 15762866
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 1987 Mar;150:285-92
references.pmid: 3311267
references.citation: Clin Psychol Rev. 1999 Nov;19(7):819-41
references.pmid: 10520437
references.citation: Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 1998 Jan;13(1):8-11
references.pmid: 9489574
references.citation: J Abnorm Psychol. 2000 Aug;109(3):550-4
references.pmid: 11016126
references.citation: Int J Soc Psychiatry. 1966 Summer;12(3):165-76
references.pmid: 5964677