ABSTRACT
Background: Chronic mental illnesses can impact the life of the partners who care for the patients. Aims: The present study examined the quality of life (QOL) of respondents who were giving care to their spouses with schizophrenia. It also aimed to explore gender and age related differences in various dimensions of their QOL. Methods: The respondents (n=304) were so selected that for half of them wives were diagnosed with schizophrenia (hence, the husbands were the caregivers), while for the other half, husbands were diagnosed with schizophrenia (hence, the wives were the caregivers). The type of study is cross sectional. Results: QOL was assessed through four domains of well-being, satisfaction of basic needs, self-care activities and marital happiness. Data analysis using basic statistics and 2x4 ANOVA supported the first hypothesis that predicted gender difference in the QOL. Male caregivers of wives with schizophrenia were found to report higher wellbeing (Mean=37.75 and 33.28), greater satisfaction of basic needs (Mean=45.37 and 38.98) than female caregivers. Results failed to support the second hypothesis that predicted better QOL for younger respondents. The main effect of age was significant with respect to only one out of the four domains of QOL - satisfaction of basic needs. Respondents in the two middle age groups (36-45, 46-55) reported greater satisfaction of basic needs (M=42.17 – 43.76) than those in the younger and the older age groups (25-35, 56-65) (M=41.32 and 41.45 respectively). Conclusion: Chronic illness of a spouse in the marital dyad may be one factor confounding the complications, particularly if the partner giving care to an ill spouse is a woman. Key message: Specific interventions sensitive to gender differences, gender ideologies and gender needs therefore need to be devised and implemented in the context of spousal chronic illness.