A SOBRECARGA DO CUIDADOR INFORMAL DA PESSOA COM DOENÇA MENTAL: UM ESTUDO DESCRITIVO-CORRELACIONAL

: Presently, mental health care is mainly promoted at community level, with the aim of reducing the distance of individuals from their homes and facilitating their social insertion and rehabilitation. Thus, informal caregivers (ICs) gain special importance since they facilitate the patient’s recovery process. This study aimed to: 1) characterize the burden of the IC of the person with Mental Illness (MI); 2) analyse the relationship between the burden and the difficulties of the IC; and 3) to verify if the dependence of the person with MI increases the levels of IC burden. A quantitative, descriptive, and correlational study was developed. The data were collected through a questionnaire to assess the performance of the caregiver’s role, which included sociodemographic data, the Lawton-Brody Index, the Carers Assessment of Difficulties Index, and the Caregiver Burden Assessment Scale, at 119 ICs recruited in a psychiatric department of a Portuguese hospital. The results revealed that more than half of the ICs were women with an average of 53.84 years. Through the application of the Zarit Scale, 45% of ICs have an intense burden. Of the 119 people who participated in the study, 85 reported feeling the need for more support from health professionals. It was found that there is a moderate correlation between the variables: IC overload and the level of dependence of the person with MI to perform Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. In view of the results obtained, it is understood the importance of valuing ICs, as care partners, in order to reduce their burden and the difficulties they feel when caring for the person with MI.