Psychological Distress and Violence Towards Parents of Patients with Schizophrenia

The present study investigated the relationship between violence and psychological distress experienced by parents of patients with schizophrenia. Questionnaire data from 379 parents were analyzed. A total of 151 parents (39.8%) had not experienced violence in the past year, whereas 96 (25.3%) and 132 (34.8%) had experienced psychological violence only or physical violence, respectively. A total of 216 (57.0%) of parents reported being psychologically distressed. Multiple logistic regression revealed that the risk of psychological distress significantly increased with the experience of psychological and physical violence, lower household income, greater family stigma, and the increasing age of patients.