ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of depressive disorders among caregivers of patients with schizophrenia, its association with patient's and caregiver's socio-demographic characteristics and family functioning. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of caregivers of patients with schizophrenia at the outpatient clinic, Hospital Permai Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The study was conducted between August and October 2008. A total of 243 caregivers who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were enrolled, of whom 232 completed the self-administered socio-demographic questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) and the McMaster Family Assessment Device. A total of 33 caregivers with the GHQ-30 cut-off point of 7/8 were assessed further by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview to diagnose depressive disorder. RESULTS: The prevalence of psychological distress in our study sample was 14% (n = 33) and that of depressive disorders was 6% (n = 14). There was no association between patients' and caregivers' socio-demographic characteristics with depressive disorders, but there were significant associations between depressive disorders and family functioning dimensions in terms of Communication and Roles. CONCLUSION: Although the causal link was not established, the results suggested that depression had a significant association with family functioning among caregivers of patients with schizophrenia.
