title: Determinants of subjective and objective burden of informal caregiving of patients with psychotic disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In a previous study, the objective burden of informal caregiving to patients with psychotic disorders amounted to 22 hours/week, and the subjective burden was huge with predominately anxiety and depression as main symptoms. In this study, determinants of the informal caregiving burden are analyzed to find foci for interventions to ease the size of burden.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with psychotic disorders (n = 107) and their informal caregivers (n = 118) were included. They were assessed with a comprehensive battery of rating scales including patient and caregiver characteristics as well as the amount and quality of health-care provision.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A multiple linear regression analysis showed that the subjective burden was significantly lower when patients had higher levels of functioning and when the health status of the informal caregivers was good. No significant determinants were found for the objective burden, but an association was found between a higher socioeconomic status of the caregivers and the amount of money provided for the patient. An association was also found between a positive perception of caregiving and more hours spent on caregiving.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The functioning level of the patients was the main determinant of the subjective burden of informal care. For the objective burden, no main determinant was found.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Psychiatric Research, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden lena.flyckt@ki.se.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Flyckt
authors.affiliation: Centre for Psychiatric Research, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fatouros-Bergman
authors.affiliation: AstraZeneca Nordic-Baltic, Södertälje, Sweden.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koernig
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety; D017028:Caregivers / Q000191:economics*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005791:Patient Care / Q000191:economics*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Informal caregiving; determinants; objective burden; schizophrenia; subjective burden