Yue-Hui Yu1, Man-Man Peng1, Xue Bai2, Wei Luo3, Xin Yang4, Jun Li5, Bo Liu6, Graham Thornicroft7, Cecilia Lai Wan Chan1, Mao-Sheng Ran8. 1. Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. 2. Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China. 3. Xinjin Second People's Hospital, Xinjin, 611432, Chengdu, China. 4. Guangyuan Mental Health Center, Guangyuan, 628000, China. 5. Sichuan Veteran Hospital, Yuantong, Sichuan, China. 6. Jingzhou Mental Health Center, Jingzhou, 434000, Hubei, China. 7. Centre for Global Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. 8. Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. msran@hku.hk.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Household poverty associated with schizophrenia has been long described. However, the mechanisms by which schizophrenia may have influenced the economic status of a household in rural communities are still unclear. This study aimed to test an integrated model of schizophrenia, social support and caregiving burden on household poverty in a rural community in China. METHODS: A mental health survey using identical methods and ICD-10 was conducted in six townships of Xinjin County (population ≥ 15 years old, n = 152,776), Chengdu, China in 2015. Identified persons with schizophrenia (n = 661) and their caregivers completed a joint questionnaire of sociodemographic information, illness conditions, social support and caregiving burden. Descriptive analysis was applied first to give an overview of the dataset. Then, multivariable regression analyses were conducted to examine the associative factors of social support, caregiving burden and household income. Then, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to estimate the integrated model of schizophrenia, social support, caregiving burden and household income. RESULTS: Households with patient being female, married, able to work and having better social function were better off. Larger household size, higher social support and lower caregiving burden also had salient association with higher household income. The relationship between schizophrenia and household poverty appeared to be mediated by the impacts of schizophrenia on social support and caregiving burden. CONCLUSION: There was a strong association between schizophrenia and household poverty, in which social support and caregiving burden may had played significant roles on mediating it. More precise poverty alleviation policies and interventions should focus on supporting recovery for persons with schizophrenia, as well as on increasing social support and on reducing family caregiving burden.
PURPOSE: Household poverty associated with schizophrenia has been long described. However, the mechanisms by which schizophrenia may have influenced the economic status of a household in rural communities are still unclear. This study aimed to test an integrated model of schizophrenia, social support and caregiving burden on household poverty in a rural community in China. METHODS: A mental health survey using identical methods and ICD-10 was conducted in six townships of Xinjin County (population ≥ 15 years old, n = 152,776), Chengdu, China in 2015. Identified persons with schizophrenia (n = 661) and their caregivers completed a joint questionnaire of sociodemographic information, illness conditions, social support and caregiving burden. Descriptive analysis was applied first to give an overview of the dataset. Then, multivariable regression analyses were conducted to examine the associative factors of social support, caregiving burden and household income. Then, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to estimate the integrated model of schizophrenia, social support, caregiving burden and household income. RESULTS: Households with patient being female, married, able to work and having better social function were better off. Larger household size, higher social support and lower caregiving burden also had salient association with higher household income. The relationship between schizophrenia and household poverty appeared to be mediated by the impacts of schizophrenia on social support and caregiving burden. CONCLUSION: There was a strong association between schizophrenia and household poverty, in which social support and caregiving burden may had played significant roles on mediating it. More precise poverty alleviation policies and interventions should focus on supporting recovery for persons with schizophrenia, as well as on increasing social support and on reducing family caregiving burden.
Entities:
Keywords:
Caregiving burden; Household poverty; Rural China; Schizophrenia; Social support
Authors: Claudia Carmassi; Claudia Foghi; Valerio Dell'Oste; Carlo Antonio Bertelloni; Andrea Fiorillo; Liliana Dell'Osso Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-08-13 Impact factor: 3.390