Risks for depression among relatives caring for schizophrenia patients

Objectives: Relatives of patients with schizophrenia frequently show symptoms of depression. Our aim was to identify risk factors for depression among schizophrenia carers. Methods: 135 relatives of patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder filled in the "Beck Depression Inventory". They were further investigated with the,Involvement Evaluation Questionnaire" and the,,Carers' Needs Assessment for Schizophrenia". The patients' symptoms were assessed using the,Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale". Results: 9.6% of the carers were depressed. Logistic regression analyses identified negative symptoms among the patients, the number of patients' previous hospital admissions and the frequency of unmet needs among the carers as significant predictors of depression among the carers. Further, positive associations were found with the carer's supervision of the patient, with the carer's worrying, and with the carer's urging (i.e. activation and motivation of the patient). Conclusions: Overall, our results show that depression was associated with both, aspects of schizophrenia itself and aspects of caregiving.