Prevalence and Correlates of Psychiatric Morbidity among Caregivers of Patients with Dementia

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in family caregivers for dementia patients and compare it to a control group of caregivers of other chronic physical illness and to assess the different socio demographic and clinical correlates associated with psychiatric morbidity among caregiver group. The participants included in the current study were 50 subjects recruited from the outpatient clinics of EL-Abbasia psychiatric hospital .They were subdivided into two groups: 1st group: A sample of 25 caregivers of dementia patients (22 females and 3 males). 2nd group: A sample of 25 caregivers of chronic medical illness (15 females and 10 males). The caregiver must be living with the patient during the study and for at least one year prior to entering the study and must be a family member of the dementia patient who knows the patient well and has an idea of how the patient typically behaves.