Quality of life among caregivers of patients with bipolar disorder

Abstract

Background Bipolar disorder (BD) is often associated with great caregiver burden. However, fewer studies exist on BD caregivers. Caregiver burden is associated with increased mental health service utilization, health problems, and costs. This study aimed to assess the quality of life (QoL) of BD caregivers and the factors affecting it. Patients and methods We conducted a cross-sectional study on 100 bipolar patients with their caregivers at the outpatient clinics of The Institute of Psychiatry, Ain Shams University Hospitals, and Abbassia Hospital for Mental Health. Results Regarding the caregivers, age is considered a determining factor of their QoL, while there was insignificant difference on the caregivers’ QoL regarding their sex. The caregiver who was employed and those who was not sharing the same house with the patient scored higher on QoL score. Regarding BD patients, the patient’s sex had a direct correlation on the QoL of the caregiver, while the patient’s age, mood state, severity of depression, and illness duration showed insignificant correlation on the caregivers’ QoL. Conclusion The age of the caregiver is a determining factor of the QoL. Also caregiver’s QoL was not related to their sex or the patients’ mood.