Care burden, depression and related factors of caregivers with bipolar disorder

The study was carried out to determine care burden, depression and related factors in caregivers of bipolar patients. The study planned as cross-sectional was conducted at the Psychological Research Center of Pamukkale University, Habip Kızıltaş Psychiatric Hospital. The present study, whose data were collected through Personal Information Form, Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and Beliefs Towards Mental Illness Scale, consisted of 71 bipolar patients hospitalized in psychiatric service. Descriptive statistics, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test and Pearson Correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. The mean age of caregivers was 47.55±9.03. It was revealed that gender, socio-economic status, residence, smoking and alcohol use of the participating caregivers did not have an effect on their depression and care burden levels. Being single, low educational level, lack of employment, lack of social security, living in a extended family, need for another individual to look after the patient, presence of physical illness, increase in the number of children for the caregivers increased their depression level. In addition, suicidal attempts, prolongation of disease and increase in the number of hospitalization of the patients increased depression level of the caregivers. The results also indicated that lack of social security, their closeness to the patient as spouses, offsprings or siblings, and living in separate households increased the care burden of the caregivers. It was demonstrated that increase in age of caregivers, low educationalstatus, lack of employment, living in separate households, presence of physical disease, having an individual with psychiatric disorder other than the patient among the family members adversely affected caregivers' did not have an effect on their depression and care burden levels. As a result, depression and care burden levels increased depending on many variables in caregivers. Thus, care burden and depression levels of caregivers of bipolar patients should be reduced by exposing them to psychoeducation programs. Keywords: Care Burden, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Psychiatric Nursing