A comparison of burden on caregivers of patients with first episode psychosis and chronic psychosis

ABSTRACTAim: This research work was conducted as a descriptive study in order to compare burden on caregivers of patients with first episode psychosis and those with chronic psychosis.Methods: The research was conducted between April 2011 and June 2011 in a Training and Research Hospital?s psycosis clinic and a psychiatric hospital?s outpatient clinics. The research sample consists of 39 caregivers of patients with first episode psychosis and 40 caregivers of patients with chronic psychosis. As a data collection tool we used The Data Form for Descriptive Specifications, and The Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI). In evaluating the data, the numerical and percentage distribution, the chi-square test, the fisher exact test and the t-test analysis in independent groups were used.Results: Burden score avarage of caregivers of chronic psychosis patients was found significantly high in comparison with that of the caregivers of patients with first episode psychosis (chronic: 51.14±17.59, first episode: 34.35±14.12, t=-4.670 p=0.000). Of the sub-dimensions Time-Dependence Burden (p=0.000), Developmental burden (p=0.000), Physical burden (p=0.001) and Social burden (p=0.000). We found out that caregivers of chronic psychosis patients have relatively much more burden than that of the patients with first episode psychosis, though we found no statistically significant difference in terms of emotional burden (p =0.306) .Conclusion: In research work, it was found that caregivers of chronic psychosis patients have significantly more burden than caregivers of patients with first episode psychosis. This situation can be explained with long period of illness of chronic phsicosis patients, exceeding number of hospitilization, loss of ability as a result of becoming chronic and cognitive harm that it caused. It is suggested that nursing care initiatives and family interventions which will be applied to the caregivers of chronic psychosis and the first episode psychosis patients should be planned according to the needs of caregivers. And also, it is suggested that programs in which both the chronic psychosis and the first episode psychosis patients can take part, should be developed as well as the intervention programs such as early psychosis intervention programs especially for the caregivers of first episode psychosis patients.Key words: psychosis, first episode psychosis, schizophrenia, caregiver burden