| Title | Burden experienced by care-givers of persons with bipolar affective disorder. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 1999 |
| Authors | Perlick D, Clarkin JF, Sirey J, Raue P, Greenfield S, Struening E, Rosenheck R |
| Journal | Br J Psychiatry |
| Volume | 175 |
| Pagination | 56-62 |
| Date Published | 1999 Jul |
| ISSN | 0007-1250 |
| Keywords | Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Attitude to Health, Bipolar Disorder, Caregivers, Cost of Illness, Family Relations, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Multivariate Analysis, Stress, Psychological |
| Abstract | BACKGROUND: Family members of patients with schizophrenia frequently report burdens associated with caring for their relatives. AIMS: We evaluate the impact of illness beliefs on the burden reported by family care-givers of people with bipolar illness. METHOD: The multivariate relationships between patient symptomatology and family illness beliefs and report of burden were examined at baseline among care-givers of 266 patients with Research Diagnostic Criteria-diagnosed bipolar illness who were subsequently followed for 15 months. RESULTS: At baseline, 93% of care-givers reported moderate or greater distress in at least one burden domain. As a group, care-giver illness beliefs (illness awareness, perception of patient and family control) explained an additional 18-28% of variance in burden experienced beyond the effects of the patient's clinical state and history. CONCLUSIONS: Care-givers of patients with bipolar illness report widespread burden that is influenced by beliefs about the illness. |
| DOI | 10.1192/bjp.175.1.56 |
| Alternate Journal | Br J Psychiatry |
| PubMed ID | 10621769 |
| Grant List | MH51348 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States |