Objective: to explain comparatively how economic and family caregiver burden in families with bipolar disorder patients change overtime.
Method: one year follow-up of economic and family caregiver burden was carried out on family caregivers of 190 bipolar, 55 diabetes, hypertension and asthma patients and 659 sick controls in the community. Population average generalized estimating equation was used to make longitudinal comparative analysis.
Results: bipolar patient family caregivers were found to be more burdened, for about 8 to 10 months of the year of study, than family caregivers of diabetes, hypertension and asthma and sick controls in the community. The average difference in family caregiver burden score between bipolar and diabetes, hypertension and asthma patient family caregivers was 4.36 (z = -8.75, P>|z|= 0.001); while the difference due to time between the two groups was 3.42 (z= -4.27, P>|z|= 0.001). Similarly, the average difference in family caregiver burden score between family caregivers of bipolar patient and sick controls in the community was 3.7 (z= -4.88, P>|z| 0.001). In terms of longitudinal caregiver burden difference, bipolar patients family caregivers were found to be more burdened than family caregivers of sick controls in the community with a burden score difference of 2.97 (z= -5.17, P>|z|= 0.001).
Conclusion: more should be done to lessen the economic and family caregiver burden due to bipolar disorder.