Quality of Life and Incidence of Clinical Signs and Symptoms among Caregivers of Persons with Mental Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study
Background: Caring for individuals with mental disorders poses significant challenges for caregivers, often leading to compromised quality of life and mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression. This study aims to assess the extent of these challenges among caregivers in Greece, id...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/2/269 |
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| author | Vasiliki Oikonomou Evgenia Gkintoni Constantinos Halkiopoulos Evangelos C. Karademas |
| author_facet | Vasiliki Oikonomou Evgenia Gkintoni Constantinos Halkiopoulos Evangelos C. Karademas |
| author_sort | Vasiliki Oikonomou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Caring for individuals with mental disorders poses significant challenges for caregivers, often leading to compromised quality of life and mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression. This study aims to assess the extent of these challenges among caregivers in Greece, identifying which demographic factors influence their well-being. Method: A total of 157 caregivers were surveyed using the SF-12 Health Survey for quality-of-life assessment and the DASS-21 questionnaire for evaluating stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. <i>t</i>-tests, Kruskal–Wallis tests, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and regression analyses were applied to understand the associations between demographics, quality of life, and mental health outcomes. Results: The study found that caregivers, especially women and younger individuals, faced high levels of mental health challenges. Marital status, educational level, and employment status also significantly influenced caregivers’ well-being. Depression was the most significant factor negatively correlating with the mental component of quality of life. The magnitude of the burden experienced by caregivers highlighted the urgency for targeted social and financial support, as well as strategic treatment programs that consider caregiver well-being. Conclusions: Caregivers of individuals with mental disorders endure significant stress, anxiety, and depression, influencing their quality of life. Demographic factors such as age, gender, marital status, education, and employment status have notable impacts. Findings emphasize the need for society-wide recognition of caregivers’ roles and the creation of comprehensive support and intervention programs to alleviate their burden, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:50:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b9e50e8a5a314a51a8676bca14099f39 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:50:39Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-b9e50e8a5a314a51a8676bca14099f392024-01-26T16:48:29ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322024-01-0112226910.3390/healthcare12020269Quality of Life and Incidence of Clinical Signs and Symptoms among Caregivers of Persons with Mental Disorders: A Cross-Sectional StudyVasiliki Oikonomou0Evgenia Gkintoni1Constantinos Halkiopoulos2Evangelos C. Karademas3School of Social Sciences, Hellenic Open University, 26335 Patras, GreeceDepartment of Psychiatry, University General Hospital of Patras, 26504 Patras, GreeceDepartment of Management Science and Technology, University of Patras, 26334 Patras, GreeceSchool of Social Sciences, Hellenic Open University, 26335 Patras, GreeceBackground: Caring for individuals with mental disorders poses significant challenges for caregivers, often leading to compromised quality of life and mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression. This study aims to assess the extent of these challenges among caregivers in Greece, identifying which demographic factors influence their well-being. Method: A total of 157 caregivers were surveyed using the SF-12 Health Survey for quality-of-life assessment and the DASS-21 questionnaire for evaluating stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. <i>t</i>-tests, Kruskal–Wallis tests, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and regression analyses were applied to understand the associations between demographics, quality of life, and mental health outcomes. Results: The study found that caregivers, especially women and younger individuals, faced high levels of mental health challenges. Marital status, educational level, and employment status also significantly influenced caregivers’ well-being. Depression was the most significant factor negatively correlating with the mental component of quality of life. The magnitude of the burden experienced by caregivers highlighted the urgency for targeted social and financial support, as well as strategic treatment programs that consider caregiver well-being. Conclusions: Caregivers of individuals with mental disorders endure significant stress, anxiety, and depression, influencing their quality of life. Demographic factors such as age, gender, marital status, education, and employment status have notable impacts. Findings emphasize the need for society-wide recognition of caregivers’ roles and the creation of comprehensive support and intervention programs to alleviate their burden, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/2/269clinical symptomscaregiversmental disordersquality of lifestressanxiety |
| spellingShingle | Vasiliki Oikonomou Evgenia Gkintoni Constantinos Halkiopoulos Evangelos C. Karademas Quality of Life and Incidence of Clinical Signs and Symptoms among Caregivers of Persons with Mental Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study Healthcare clinical symptoms caregivers mental disorders quality of life stress anxiety |
| title | Quality of Life and Incidence of Clinical Signs and Symptoms among Caregivers of Persons with Mental Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full | Quality of Life and Incidence of Clinical Signs and Symptoms among Caregivers of Persons with Mental Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_fullStr | Quality of Life and Incidence of Clinical Signs and Symptoms among Caregivers of Persons with Mental Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quality of Life and Incidence of Clinical Signs and Symptoms among Caregivers of Persons with Mental Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_short | Quality of Life and Incidence of Clinical Signs and Symptoms among Caregivers of Persons with Mental Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_sort | quality of life and incidence of clinical signs and symptoms among caregivers of persons with mental disorders a cross sectional study |
| topic | clinical symptoms caregivers mental disorders quality of life stress anxiety |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/2/269 |
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