Caregivers’ burden experienced by relatives living with a person suffering from schizophrenia

Abstract: Schizophrenia is a complex chronic disease that turns the affected person into a dependent and disorganized patient. This pathology is responsible for a major burden on the family members who are in charge of taking care of that person. Analyze to what extant can socio-demographic, clinical and environmental variables interfere with the burden felt by family members who live with someone suffering from schizophrenia; to analyze the relationship between a depressive mood state and the burden on the family members who live with a person suffering from schizophrenia were our objectives. As a methodology, quantitative and non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational study. The data collection was done through socio-demographic questionnaires; Vaz Serra and Pio Abreu’s Portuguese version of Beck Depression Inventory (1973); Zarit Burden Interview adapted by Sequeira (2007). 95 informal caregivers taking care of schizophrenic patients were assessed. Participants are mainly female (66%), aged 40 or over (79%) and 36 % are the patients’ mothers. Gender, age and existing family ties variables interfered significantly with the impact caused on the caregiver’s burden. There was a statistically significant correlation between the depressive symptomatology and the burden experienced by the family caregivers. Family/ informal caregiver experience several difficulties when they have to go through a daily process of taking care of a family member suffering from schizophrenia. This situation may cause exhaustion, conflicts, emotional suffering and even depressive symptomatology. This burden of care grows stronger as the patients are older, when they are male and when there are no families ties binding patient and caregiver. These variables must be taken into account in these caregivers’ service plans.

Adherence to therapeuthic regimen and metabolic control of type 1 diabetes

Abstract Objectives: To assess the adherence to therapeutic regimen; to determine the Hemoglobin Glycation Index (HbA1c); to analyse the relationship that exists between the adherence to therapeutic regimen and metabolic control. Design: correlational analytical study, carried out according to a cross-sectional perspective. Participants: A non-probabilistic sample of 266 people with type 1 diabetes aged between 18 and 78 years old (mean M = 51.02 ± SD = 18.710), attending follow-up diabetes consultations. Mostly male individuals (51.88%), with low schooling level (50.75% had only inished elementar school). Measuring Instruments: We used the following data collection tools: a questionnaire on clinical and socio-demographic data, blood analysis of venous blood to determine the glycated hemoglobin level (HbA1c).Three self-report scales were used: Accession to Diabetes Treatment (Matos, 1999), Self-perception Scale (Vaz Serra, 1986) and Social Support Scale (Matos & Rodrigues, 2000). Results: In a sample in which the mean disease duration is 12.75 years, 69.17% of the sample run glycemic control tests between once a day and four times a year and 42.86% of them undergo insulin treatment. In the last 3 weeks, 26.32% of these people have experienced an average of 4.22 to 44.36%, hypoglycemic crises and experienced an average of 6.18 hyperglycemic crises. 57% of the individuals have showed a poor metabolic control (mean HbA1c higher than 7.5% (HbA1c mean M ≥ 7.50%). The mean psychosocial proile revealed individuals who show a decent self-esteem (M = 70.81) and acceptable social support (M = 58.89). Conclusions: The results suggest we should develop a kind of investigation that could be used to monitor the strenght of the mediation effect effect of the psychosocial predictive dimension of the adherence, since it has become essential to support a multidisciplinary approach which center lays in the promotion of a co-responsible self-management from the person who suffers from diabetes. This will enable a better quality of life; fewer years of people’s lives lost prematurely and a better health with less economical costs for citizens and healthcare systems.