Ndlovu, J.T.; Mokwena, K.E. Burden of Care of Family Caregivers for People Diagnosed with Serious Mental Disorders in a Rural Health District in Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa. Healthcare2023, 11, 2686.
Ndlovu, J.T.; Mokwena, K.E. Burden of Care of Family Caregivers for People Diagnosed with Serious Mental Disorders in a Rural Health District in Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa. Healthcare 2023, 11, 2686.
Ndlovu, J.T.; Mokwena, K.E. Burden of Care of Family Caregivers for People Diagnosed with Serious Mental Disorders in a Rural Health District in Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa. Healthcare2023, 11, 2686.
Ndlovu, J.T.; Mokwena, K.E. Burden of Care of Family Caregivers for People Diagnosed with Serious Mental Disorders in a Rural Health District in Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa. Healthcare 2023, 11, 2686.
Abstract
Jabulile Ndlovu1 and Kebogile Mokwena1, 2
1 Department of Public Health, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa
2 Research Chair in Substance abuse and population Mental Health, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa
Corresponding author: jabulilendlovu5@gmail.com
Abstract
An estimated 6% of the world population has serious mental illness, with one in four families having a member with some form of psychiatric disorder, who are mostly cared for by their relatives within a family setting. Although caregiving in a home setting is reported to be associated with significant mental distress, the burden of such distress is rarely measured. The purpose of this study was to quantify the burden of care among family caregivers of relatives with serious mental disorders, as well as to explore possible association between the caregiver burden of care and a range of caregiver and Mental Health Care User (MHCU) variables in a rural district in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. The Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) scale was used to collect data from 357 caregivers, and STATA 14 was used to analyze data. The ages of the sample ranged from 18 to 65, with a mean of 50.29, and the majority (86%) were female and unemployed (83%). The ZBI scores ranged from 8 to 85, with a mean of 41.59. The majority (91%) tested positive for caregiver burden of care, which ranged from mild to severe. Using the Pearson Chi-square test of association (p=0.05), variables that were significantly associated with the burden of care were clinically related (caregiver self-reported depression, MHCU diagnosis, recent relapse of the MHCU), socio-economic (caregiver family monthly income, MHCU disability grant status and MHCU employment status) and socio-demographic (MHCU gender and MHCU level of education). The prevalence of burden of care is high and severe, and scarcity of resources in families and communities contribute to the high burden of care in these rural communities.
Keywords
Zarit Burden Interview scale; burden of care; home care giving; severe mental illness; rural setting
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
