Comparison of caregivers of individuals with alcohol substanceuse disorder and caregivers of individuals with chronic mental illness in terms of codependency and attachment styles

Over the years, the caregiving role of family members has become increasingly important. While having a family member diagnosed with alcohol and substance use disorder (ASUD), schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder (BAD) affects all family members, caregivers also affect the treatment process of the sick individual. Although there are studies related to codependency for relatives of ASUD, there are insufficient studies on caregivers regarding other mental disorders. The aim of this study is to compare the codependency, attachment styles, altruism levels and personality characteristics of ASUD caregivers with those of CMI caregivers. For this purpose, caregivers of ASUD and caregivers of patients with schizophrenia and BAD chronic mental illness who applied to ESOGU Faculty of Medicine, Department of Mental Health and Diseases, and a control group matched with them in terms of age, gender and education level were evaluated. 70 people from each group were included in the study. It was required to provide care to patient groups for at least 6 months at any given period. Codependency Assessment Tool (CODAT), Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R), Altruism Scale, Five Factor Personality Inventory (FFPI) were applied to all groups. CODAT total score and FFPI emotional instability subscale scores were found to be higher in the ASUD caregiver group than in the CMI caregiver group. FFPI agreeableness personality subscale scores were found to be higher in the CMI caregiver group than in the ASUD caregiver group. No difference was found in the altruism scale and ECR-R scores between the groups. Our results suggest that, in line with the literature, codependency in the ASUD caregiver group and agreeableness personality traits in the CMI caregiver group may be related to caregiving. Conducting studies on the characteristics of caregivers in different diagnosis groups is important in terms of contributing to the patient and caregiver's ability to cope with the difficulties associated with the disease. Key Words: codependency, attachment style, mental illness