Caregiver's quality of life and its positive impact on symptomatology and quality of life of patients with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Although the quality of life (QoL) experienced by patients with schizophrenia has been recognized, few studies have assessed the relationship between the caregivers' QoL and patients' QoL. METHODS: The study included 253 stabilized outpatients with schizophrenia and their caregivers from 3 Mental Health Services in Bolivia (N = 83), Chile (N = 85) and Peru (N = 85). Caregivers' and patients' QoL were respectively assessed using two specific QoL questionnaires (S-CGQoL and S-QoL 18). We collected socio-demographic information and clinical data. Multiple linear regressions were performed to determine which variables were associated with patient's QoL. We tested the following hypothesis using structural equation modeling (SEM): caregivers' QoL may have an indirect effect on patients' QoL mediated by their influence of the severity of psychotic symptoms. RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, the caregivers' QoL was not significantly associated with the patients' QoL, except for one QoL dimension about relationship with family (Beta = 0.23). Among patients' characteristics, being a woman and Aymara, having lower educational level, unemployment and severity of symptoms was significantly associated to a lower QoL. The SEM revealed a moderate significant association between caregivers' QoL and psychotic symptoms severity (path coefficient = -0.32) and a significant association between psychotic symptoms severity and patients QoL (path coefficient = -0.40). The indirect effect of caregivers' QoL on patients' QoL was significant (mediated effect coefficient = 0.13). CONCLUSION: Improvement of caregiver's QoL may have a direct impact on the psychotic symptoms of patients and indirectly on patient's QoL, confirming the need for ongoing family interventions in these regions.

Religion involvement and quality of life in caregivers of patients with schizophrenia in Latin-America.

The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between religious involvement (RI) and quality of life (QoL) in caregivers of patients with schizophrenia, while adjusting for key confounding factors such as socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. This study was conducted in the public mental health services in Bolivia, Peru and Chile. The data collected included RI, socio-demographic information, clinical characteristic of the patients and caregiver's QoL using the S-CGQoL questionnaire. A multivariate analysis using multiple linear regressions was performed to determine variables potentially associated with QoL levels. Two hundred and fifty-three patients with their caregivers participated in the study. Caregivers' RI was not significantly associated with overall QoL nor its individual components. The only exception was an unexpected modest inverse association between RI and one QoL dimension (psychological and physical well-being). In contrast, the following caregivers' socio-cultural and economic factors were significantly associated with low QoL level of caregivers: being a mother, identifying with Aymara ethnicity and having lower family income. Among patients, the clinical characteristics of being woman, younger, and having lower age of onset and more severe symptoms was associated with lower QoL. Our study found that socio-cultural, economic and clinical factors were associated with caregivers' QoL.