TY - JOUR
T1 - Understanding the burden of mental and physical health disorders on families
T2 - findings from the Saudi National Mental Health Survey
AU - Zedan, Haya S
AU - Bilal, Lisa
AU - Hyder, Sanaa
AU - Naseem, Mohammad Talal
AU - Akkad, Marya
AU - Al-Habeeb, Abdulhameed
AU - Al-Subaie, Abdullah S
AU - Altwaijri, Yasmin
N1 - © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
Funding Information:
The Saudi National Mental Health Survey is conducted by the King Salman Center for Disability Research; funded by Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Ministry of Health (Saudi Arabia) and King Saud University. Funding in-kind was provided by King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, and Ministry of Economy & Planning, General Authority for Statistics, Riyadh.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 BMJ Open. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023/10/6
Y1 - 2023/10/6
N2 - OBJECTIVE: To assess prevalence and correlation of factors of family burden associated with mental and physical disorders in the general population of Saudi Arabia.SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A secondary analysis of data from the Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS).OUTCOME MEASURES: Mental and physical health disorders of first-degree relatives and objective (time, financial) and subjective (distress, embarrassment) family burden.RESULTS: We found significant caregiver burden for family members with mental health disorders. Around one-third of the sample was providing care for a family member with a health issue. Within this group, 40% had a mental health diagnosis. 73% of the study population reported experiencing some form of burden as a result of the care they are obligated to provide for their family members. We found the highest burden on male caregivers, in providing care for family members with serious memory disorders, mental retardation, schizophrenia or psychosis, followed by, alcohol and drug disorders, anxiety, depression or manic depression.CONCLUSION: Our findings for family burden were statistically significant, indicating potential negative impact on caregiver coping ability with the demands of caring for family members with health issues. A comprehensive review of national mental health policies is required to integrate aspects of community mental health promotion, scale-up prevention, screening interventions and social support to protect against the difficulties of mental illness and reduce the burden on caregivers, the family, society, health system and the economy.
AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess prevalence and correlation of factors of family burden associated with mental and physical disorders in the general population of Saudi Arabia.SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A secondary analysis of data from the Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS).OUTCOME MEASURES: Mental and physical health disorders of first-degree relatives and objective (time, financial) and subjective (distress, embarrassment) family burden.RESULTS: We found significant caregiver burden for family members with mental health disorders. Around one-third of the sample was providing care for a family member with a health issue. Within this group, 40% had a mental health diagnosis. 73% of the study population reported experiencing some form of burden as a result of the care they are obligated to provide for their family members. We found the highest burden on male caregivers, in providing care for family members with serious memory disorders, mental retardation, schizophrenia or psychosis, followed by, alcohol and drug disorders, anxiety, depression or manic depression.CONCLUSION: Our findings for family burden were statistically significant, indicating potential negative impact on caregiver coping ability with the demands of caring for family members with health issues. A comprehensive review of national mental health policies is required to integrate aspects of community mental health promotion, scale-up prevention, screening interventions and social support to protect against the difficulties of mental illness and reduce the burden on caregivers, the family, society, health system and the economy.
KW - epidemiologic studies
KW - mental health
KW - primary care
KW - psychiatry
KW - Humans
KW - Saudi Arabia/epidemiology
KW - Family/psychology
KW - Schizophrenia
KW - Male
KW - Caregivers/psychology
KW - Health Surveys
KW - Mental Disorders/epidemiology
KW - Psychotic Disorders
KW - Adaptation, Psychological
U2 - 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072115
DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072115
M3 - Article
C2 - 37802615
SN - 2044-6055
VL - 13
JO - BMJ Open
JF - BMJ Open
IS - 10
M1 - e072115
ER -
