Comparison of Caregiver Burden in First Episode Versus Chronic Psychosis

The aim of this study was to compare burden on caregivers of patients with first episode psychosis and caregivers of those with chronic psychosis. The study sample consisted of 39 caregivers of patients with first episode psychosis and 40 caregivers of patients with chronic psychosis. The Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) was used for data collection. The average caregiver burden in caregivers of patients with chronic psychosis was significantly higher than that in caregivers of patients with first episode psychosis. With regard to the subscales of CBI, there was a significantly higher level of burden in terms of time dependence, development, physical burden, and social burden in caregivers of patients with chronic psychosis than in caregivers of patients with first episode psychosis, while no such difference could be detected for the emotional burden. The absence of a difference in emotional burden suggests that caregivers of first episode psychosis may be going through an intense emotional experience, placing them in a high-risk status, despite an average caregiving experience duration of 11 months. Family interventions targeting the caregivers of patients with chronic psychosis or patients with first episode psychosis should be planned in accordance with the specific needs of these caregiver groups. It is also recommended to conduct programs involving the concurrent participation of the caregivers of patients with first episode psychosis and caregivers of patients with chronic psychosis and interventional programs such as “early psychosis support” for the caregivers of patients with first episode psychosis.