TY - JOUR AU - Ehsan, Neelam AU - Johar, Nigar AU - Khan, Muhammad Alamgir PY - 2018/06/30 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - EFFECT OF AGE, GENDER AND FAMILY TYPE ON CARE GIVING —A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY ON CAREGIVERS OF SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS JF - Pakistan Journal of Physiology JA - Pak J Phsyiol VL - 14 IS - 2 SE - Original Article DO - UR - https://pjp.pps.org.pk/index.php/PJP/article/view/215 SP - 38-40 AB - <p><strong>Background:</strong> Care giving is a fundamental issue in the rehabilitation process of mental illnesses. Most of the patients suffering from schizophrenia are dependent on their families to take care of them and help them out in their daily activities. Present study was planned to find out the effect of age, gender and family type on care giving burden in caregivers of schizophrenic patients. <strong>Methods:</strong> This cross-sectional comparative study was carried out at International Islamic University Islamabad from Jan to Sep 2017. Fifty informal caregivers of schizophrenic patients were included from psychiatry wards of Lady Reading Hospital, and Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar though convenience sampling. Care-givers with any past history of psychiatrist illness were excluded from the study. Care giving burden was measured using ‘Zarit Burden Interview’ questionnaire. Alpha value was kept at 0.05. <strong>Results:</strong> There were 20 (40%) males and 30 (60%) females in the study. The mean age of participants was 31.76±9.13 years with a range of 19–55 years. Twenty-seven (65%) participants were from nuclear family whereas 23 (46%) were from extended family. Mean score of care giving burden was 42.98±13.80 with range of 11–64. Care giving burden was found to be affected by age (<em>p</em>=0.001) but not by gender and family type (<em>p</em>=0.10 and 0.72 respectively). <strong>Conclusion: </strong>Age was the strongest predictor of care giving burden. There was no effect of gender and family type on care giving burden.</p><p><strong>Pak J Physiol 2018;</strong>14(2):38–40</p> ER -