Quality of life of caregivers of patients with psychiatric illness in Penang.

Shuet Ching Neong*, Abdul Rash

Abstract

Introduction: There has been a shift from institutional to community based care for patients with mental illnesses. With increasing prevalence of psychiatric illness, more patients are being treated in the community which can affect the quality of life of caregivers. Objective: To determine the quality of life of caregivers of patients with psychiatric illness on follow up in public hospitals providing outpatient psychiatric services in Penang, Malaysia. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted 221 randomly recruited patients and their caregivers. These caregivers were interviewed face-to-face using WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire to evaluate their quality of life. Results: Caregiver’s single, widowed and divorced status (ANOVA=3.09, p=0.029), lower level of education (ANOVA=4.18, p-value 0.017) and Chinese race (ANOVA=6.98, p-value<0.001) were significantly associated with the poor QOL. Whereas, the patient’s Chinese race (ANOVA=10.17, p-value<0.0001) and profession (ANOVA=3.15, p-value<0.002) were significantly associated with the caregiver’s quality of life. Conclusion: It is important for health care providers and policy makers to understand the factors that influence the quality of life of caregivers considering more patients with psychiatric illness are being cared for in the community.