Subjective burden over 12 months in parents of patients with schizophrenia

✍ Scribed by Johannes Jungbauer; Bettina Wittmund; Sandra Dietrich; Matthias C Angermeyer

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 88 KB
• Volume: 17
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1532-8228
• DOI: 10.1016/s0883-9417(03)00056-6

✦ Synopsis

This is a follow-up study aimed at investigating subjective burden in parents of patients with schizophrenia during a 12-month period. Using a narrative interview technique, parents were questioned regarding the subject of illness-related burden; follow-up interviews were conducted after 6 and 12 months, respectively. Forty-seven interview sets were examined with the aim of determining different types of burden development. The analysis yielded the following six developmental types: (1). constantly high level of burden; (2). increased burden; (3). reduced burden; (4). shifting burden; (5). preeminence of other burdens; and (6). constantly low level of burden. In general, changes in the parents' burden level are closely interconnected with the illness curve of the patients, with 40% of the study participants experiencing a constantly high level of burden during the course of the study. The results suggest that parents of continuously and severely affected patients are overloaded with their long-term caring tasks. Particularly for these extremely strained parents, practical and psychologic assistance should be provided.