title: Family caregivers and outcome of people with schizophrenia in rural China: 14-year follow-up study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the differences in 14-year outcomes of persons with schizophrenia with and without family caregiver(s) in a rural community in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  All participants with schizophrenia (n = 510) aged 15 years and older were identified in a 1994 epidemiological investigation of 123,572 people and followed up in 2004 and 2008 in Xinjin County, Chengdu, China.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Individuals without family caregiver in 1994 had significantly higher rate of homelessness (23.8 %) and lower rate of survival (47.5 %) in 2008 than those with family caregivers (5.1 and 70.9 %). Compared with individuals with family caregivers, those without family caregivers were more likely to be male, live alone, have fewer family members, lower family economic status, lower rates of marriage and complete remission, higher mean scores on PANSS and lower mean score on GAF in 2008. The predictors of participants without family caregiver in 2008 included having a small number of family members at baseline and being male.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The absence of a family caregiver is a predictive factor of poorer long-term outcome of persons with schizophrenia in the rural community. The critical role of family caregiving should be incorporated in the planning and delivering of mental health policies and community-based mental health services.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. msran@hku.hk.
authors.forename: Mao-Sheng
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ran
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Cheryl H K
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chui
authors.affiliation: School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Irene Yin-Ling
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Chengdu Mental Health Center, Chengdu, 610036, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Xinjin Mental Hospital, Xinjin, 611432, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Fu-Rong
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Jingzhou Mental Health Center, Jingzhou, 434000, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Cecilia Lai-Wan
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis
keywords: China; Family caregiver; Outcome; Predictive factors; Schizophrenia