Caregiver burden in the families of the patients suffering from bipolar affective disorder: A cross-sectional study in central India.

Background: Caregivers of patients with bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) experience significant burdens.

Aim: Understanding the factors influencing caregiver burden is essential for developing effective, culturally relevant interventions.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study assessed the caregiving burden among 120 primary caregivers of BPAD patients attending the Psychiatry Outpatient Department at a tertiary care hospital in Central India. The Burden Assessment Schedule (BAS) and Family Attitude Scale (FAS) were used to measure caregiver burden and expressed emotions (EE). Pearson's correlation coefficient was applied to examine associations between caregiver burden, demographic factors, caregiving duration, and EE.

Results: Most caregivers were male (60%) and married (96.7%), with a mean age of 40.76 ± 13.9 years and an average caregiving duration of 17.43 ± 9 years. The mean BAS score was 82.38 ± 7.2, indicating a high caregiving burden. BAS scores correlated significantly with caregiver age (r = 0.311, P = 0.001) and years living with the patient (r = 0.210, P = 0.022). The mean FAS score was 67.68 ± 7.4, with significant correlations observed between FAS scores and caregiver age (r = 0.404, P < 0.001) and years of cohabitation (r = 0.239, P = 0.008). A strong positive correlation between BAS and FAS scores (r = 0.423, P < 0.001) highlighted the role of EE in exacerbating caregiver burden.

Conclusion: Caregivers of BPAD patients face substantial burdens influenced by demographic factors, caregiving duration, and high levels of EE within families.