title: Caregiving burden and psychological distress among spouses of bipolar patients - comparative analysis of subtype I and II.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the level of caregiving burden and psychological distress among spouses of bipolar disorder - BD (type I and II) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  77 subjects (41 women and 36 men) were enrolled in the study - 44 spouses of bipolar I (BD I) patients and 33 spouses of bipolar II (BD II). The whole group was divided into 4 subgroups: (I) the wives of BD I patients: n=27, (II) the husbands of BD I patients: n=17, (III) the wives of BD II patients: n=14, (IV) the husbands of BD II patients: n=19. The research methods: Involvement Evaluation Questionnaire - IEQ and General Health Questionnaire - GHQ-12.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Manic phase of BD I is more burdensome than episodes of depressed mood (BD I) and hypomania (BD II). Depression in BD II results in a significantly greater burden than hypomania. Spouses of BD I patients experience a higher level of burden. Women are generally more burdened with the patient care regardless of the episode. Partners of bipolar patients (type I and II) experience the same high level of psychological distress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The specific types of bipolar disorder (I and II) have the different impact on partners, which affects their subjective and objective burden and relationship with patients, indicating a real need to offer them an adequate help, depending on subtype of patient's bipolar disorder, as well as the spouse sex.
authors.affiliation: Zakład Zaburzeń Afektywnych, Katedra Psychiatrii Collegium Medicum UJ.
authors.forename: Aleksandra Izabela
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Arciszewska
authors.affiliation: Zakład Zaburzeń Afektywnych, Katedra Psychiatrii Collegium Medicum UJ.
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siwek
authors.affiliation: Zakład Zaburzeń Afektywnych, Katedra Psychiatrii Collegium Medicum UJ.
authors.forename: Dominika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dudek
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: bipolar disorder; burden; marriage