Empathy and burden in caregivers of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Background The caregiver of patients loads different kind of burdens, including emotional distress. Aims of this study were to evaluate the burden and empathy of caregivers of patients with schizophrenic spectrum disorders and to evaluate if these dimensions are correlate between them and/or with selected variables of caregivers and assisted patients. Methods We selected a sample of 60 caregivers (34 women and 26 men), who assisted patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders treated in our local Community Mental Health Center for a 1-year minimum period. We administered to our sample two scales, Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES) and collected data of caregivers and their assisted patients in a 3-month period. Results We reported a mean ZBI score of 49.68 (± 15.03 SD) and a mean BEES score of 14.35 (± 9.05 SD), indicating the perception of moderate-severe burden and a low level of empathy, respectively. The analysis of internal consistency confirmed the good reliability of both ZBI (Cronbach's alpha = 0.90) and BEES (Cronbach's alpha = 0.77). The correlation between the two scales was not statistically significantly at Spearman test. Only a few variables, the living environment ("do not live with the patient") indirectly, and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) score of assisted patients, in a direct way, were statistically significantly correlated with ZBI score. We highlighted only a positive statistically significant correlation between the fifth dimension score of BEES ("Tendency to avoid emotional involvement with fragile people") and CGI-S and GAF (Global Assessment of Functioning) scores of assisted patients. Conclusions Our study highlights that the burden of caregivers of patients with severe psychiatric disorders is similarly high to that of organic or neurologic disorders and is associated with low emotional empathy experienced by caregivers, probably due to a defensive psychological mechanism.