JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Caregivers of schizophrenia often experience high levels of stress due to the prolonged and demanding nature of caregiving. Unmanaged stress can negatively impact mental well-being and reduce the quality of the care provided. This can lead to increased relapse rates in patients and worse long-term clinical outcomes

Objective:

This study aimed to assess stress levels among caregivers of patients with schizophrenia and identify the key determinants of caregiver stress

Methods:

This study utilized a cross-sectional survey was conducted between June and August 2024 at the Labakkang District Health Center, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. A total of 110 female caregivers participated in the study. Data were collected using validated questionnaires to measure stress levels and related factors. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests to identify associations, and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the strength and direction of relationships between variables

Results:

This study included 110 female caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia. The majority were early elderly, 48 out of 110 caregivers (44%), had a basic level of education (elementary to junior high school 45 out of 110 caregivers (46%), were unemployed ( 83 out of 110 caregivers, 75%), and had been providing care for more than 10 years 42 out of 110 (38%). A total of 58 of 110 (53%) caregivers experienced mild levels of stress, while 63 of 110 caregivers (57%) reported a moderate caregiving burden. Additionally, 64 of 110 caregivers (58%) reported challenges related to patient treatment non-adherence, and 58 of 110 caregivers (53%) experienced low levels of social stigma. Most caregivers (69 of 110) (63%) adopted adaptive coping strategies; however, more than half reported low levels of knowledge (59 of 110 caregivers (54%) and limited access to health information (73 of 110 caregivers (66%). The chi-square analysis identified several statistically significant associations with stress: age (p = .030), education (p < .001), caregiving burden (p < .001), knowledge (p < .001), coping strategies (p < .001), treatment non-adherence (p = .004), and perceived stigma (p = .003). Further, PLS-SEM analysis showed that caregiving burden (r = 0.672), stigma (r = 0.921), and limited knowledge (r = 0.909) were positively correlated with stress. In contrast, social support was strongly negatively associated with stress (r = –0.872), indicating its protective role

Conclusions:

These findings highlight the importance of social support, stigma reduction, and increased knowledge of efforts to manage caregivers’ stress. These findings emphasize the importance of interventions that increase social support and coping strategies for caregivers to reduce the negative impact of the stress they experience