Prevalence of depression and its associated factors among primary caregivers of patients with severe mental illness in southwest, Ethiopia

Abstract

We found that the prevalence of depression among primary caregivers was high. Depression among caregivers was associated with giving care more than six hours per day and caring for a patient who had two or more episodes of suicidal attempts. The prevalence of depression among female caregivers was higher than that of the male caregivers. Therefore, special focus should be given to primary caregivers spending long hours for providing care, those with low perceived social support; caregivers of patients with suicidal ideation and female caregivers.